The Legacy Of Spyro Book I, It never Ends
by Rogue147
Summary: After defeating Malefor, Spyro and Cynder must negotiate peace with an ancient race, of which, all knowledge of has been lost by dragon kind. Never easy is it. I'd post a disclaimer but I think the clue is I'm on 'fan' fiction.
1. Prologue (edited)

Book 1

Prologue: The end

Terrador stared at the destruction taking place around him. Buildings crumbling to dust. Cheetahs and moles alike, running to try and find safety, only to have the ground break apart under their feet and swallow them whole. The dragons that tried to fly to safety were struck down by bolts of lightning mid-flight and lay broken on the shattered earth. Those that did make it to the fortress keep were overcome with grief for those that hadn't.

Sparx sat beside him, his head in his hands at the sight of the chaos. Behind him, Cyril and Volteer were finding beds for the new arrivals whilst hunter was organizing what supplies they had managed to salvage. The terror of the situation lay heavily on his heart. There was no hope left.

Well, almost none…

All those in Warfang who hadn't been busy with the army outside or the fires in the streets had watched the light show of the battle taking place high above the landscape. There had been much rejoicing when the temple had lost the magic holding it up. As the glow left the crystals at its base, it fell and crashed into the side of mountain. Seeing that had given them the hope that Spyro, Cynder and Ignitus might have actually been winning but, after many hours of waiting, those chances were looking slim.

"They sure are taking their time;" said Sparx, turning to look at the fiery horizon in the distance.

"I'm not sure we have a chance even if they do make it;" replied Terrador. "The damage to the world is great. It may not be able to fix itself."

At least we know they're still alive. We wouldn't still be here if they weren't, although, it may not matter anymore. The world itself can take great damage and the natural magic will make sure it pulls back together. However, you need to keep in mind; the Destroyer is called that for a reason.

"Brilliant! We survived long enough to watch everything die;" said Sparx, gesturing at the landscape around them. "You have a great way of putting me at ease." They looked back towards where the temple had fallen.

A large amount of rock fell down onto the ruins, leaving only the top dome visible. The earth guardian turned his focus to a group of moles who made it to the cave. As such, he missed the purple glow that began to pour from the top of the mountain. "Terrador?" said Sparx, suddenly losing his sarcastic tone. "Is the mountain meant to be glowing like that?" At the top of the mountain, a purple light emanated from where the temple had fallen.

"No, it shouldn't."

It didn't take long for others to notice what they were staring at. They wandered over for a better view and just sat there looking at the light.

"What do you think is causing it;" said Volteer, breaking the silence.

Sparx looked dumbfounded at the lightning dragon. "Well, i'm not an expert but that colouration should help narrow it down for you."

All they could do was watch as the light flowed over the land, covering everything it came into contact with. They just stood there watching.

"Although, what it's doing is a mystery to me;" muttered Sparx.

And it was then that they saw exactly what was happening. All around them, the earth was pulling itself back together. Trees were springing up. Ruins were coming together to form solid structures. Even the lake, which had dried up Thanks to the Destroyer's passage, was beginning to fill again.

But what startled them the most was that the injured creatures in the city were being engulfed in the purple haze and, when it finally left them, were standing there as if nothing had ever happened.

"Does this mean they did it;" said hunter, voicing the thought on everyone's mind. "Does this mean it's finally over?"

* * *

><p>Trees were growing out of the ground at a rate never before seen without use of the nature element. The dam, despite being emptied, had been closed and was now filled to the brim. This lone figure beheld the sight as he stared out over the valley, before turning his attention to the city on the horizon. He had watched the great monster of stone attack it, only to be fought off by its inhabitants. This had been followed by the bigger monster that was the cause of his presence here. Finding himself to still be alive after all this, he was confused by what he had seen. He had been next to the dam when the two flying lizards had opened the gates. He was impressed when they flew into it and bring it crashing down moments later took it down from the inside. But then it seemed as if the world had decided to just give up the ghost. The only thing he wanted to do now was find out what had just happened.<p>

Through all this, one thought rang out in his mind. 'Whatever the answers are, they'll be in there.' He left the cover of his cave and started towards the breach the first monster had made in the great walls.

* * *

><p>Former Fire Guardian Ignitus sat in the central chamber of the White Isle, staring at the scroll in front of him.<p>

"Nothing." He sighed as he placed the tattered cloth back on the pile. "All that energy they used and there's not a trace of them." Staring up at the walls around him, he felt more frustration than he had ever felt in his previous life. He had been searching through the books on the shelves surrounding the room for the past week, hoping to find a hint of where Spyro or Cynder had ended up after their fight with Malefor. The problem was he couldn't find their names in any of the transcripts other than their own, and even those had stopped writing themselves.

"How could they just disappear from history?" Ignitus bowed his head in defeat and, blowing out the candles, turned to leave the library…

And saw one still shining in the back of the room.

Frowning, he walked towards it, carefully checking the shadows as he moved. He hadn't been back here and he knew the old Chronicler hadn't left it there. However, this place was highly magical and he would have been a fool to think all its secrets had been found.

As he approached, he noticed that another book was sitting open next to it.

Curious, he pulled it towards him and read the page, then the next. When he reached the sixth page, the book slammed itself shut with a thump and floated back to the shelf. He sat as his gaze followed its passage, pondering what he had just read. Then, making up his mind, he got up, blew out the candle and walked out of the room, holding on to his composure.

However, as he reached the door, it occurred to him that no one else was present and allowed himself a shout of joy, before leaving to take up the mantle of his predecessor.

"May the ancestors watch over you, young ones."


	2. Act I, Chapter 1: Awakening

1. Awakening

Total darkness. Surrounding him. Clouding his mind. Drowning out all other thoughts and feelings from his mind. He tried to reach out but could find nothing around him. Panicking, he tried to summon up a fire to give himself some light but not even a puff of smoke would come.

He was alone.

Spyro sighed and let himself be carried along. He had known the risks of going against Malefor and that had not stopped him. He hadn't run when Cynder had turned on him, nor did he when Ignitus gave his life to help them win.

"Ignitus." he sighed. The old fire guardian and the first dragon he ever met. He had taught him how to master his elements, guided him to rescue the other guardians. When Cynder had tried to catch him in munitions forge, Ignitus had held her off to let him escape. Then took her in, despite the other guardians' objections and even after what she had done to him.

Cynder…

A wave of grief flooded over him. He knew that he was dying. The energy he had used to heal the world had been too much. He also remembered what her last words to him were and he was sorry that he would never have a chance to tell her that he loved her back because of what they had had to do together.

He could feel himself fading out as the last of his energy left him. There was nothing left for him to do now but bow his head and meet his end.

* * *

><p>Cynder groaned as she came to. Her head felt like it had been hit by a two tonne boulder and the rest of her body didn't feel much better. As her vision cleared, she looked around the cavern that she was stuck in. the purple crystal covered most of the floor. Looking up, the fissure that they had entered by had sealed up.<p>

"Great." She mumbled, turning her attention back to her surroundings. Malefor was gone. The ancestors had taken care of that. She sighed with relief. The monster that had plagued her all her life was finally gone. "Heh, that's what everyone thought last time. Let's just hope it's for good." examining her surroundings, her heart dropped.

Spyro was gone.

Panicking, she got up, muscles protesting all the way. There was no sign of him anywhere.

"Spyro?" She cried out but the only sound she got back was her own echo.

* * *

><p>Spyro…<p>

His name cut through the silence. Slowly opening one eye, the sudden light blinded him.

"Now what?" he mumbled. Waiting until his vision focused, Spyro pulled himself up. He was in a small cave with spirit gems lining the walls. Across from him, a small circle of purple crystal sat glowing amongst them on the wall opposite.

"Where to now." For as he looked around, there was no way out that he could see. The spirit gems completely surrounded him. Even when he used his earth element, he couldn't sense a way out.

Spyro!

The cry that came was much louder this time, almost as if the caller was right next to him, and he knew who the caller was.

"Cynder?" he whispered, looking around. The amethyst crystal was now pulsating with energy. He started walking towards it and, as he moved closer, the sequence of flashes got faster until there was a steady light pouring from it. He stared at it then, realizing that it might be a way out; he put his head down and charged it.

Thud! He hit the wall hard and was thrown back across the room. He picked himself up and stared back at the wall. It was no longer glowing but instead, showed the cavern that Cynder was in. Carefully, he walked to the wall to get a closer look. She had just run out of a tunnel and was staring at the ceiling.

He called out to her but she didn't hear him. She just sat, peering curiously at the roof. Unable to bare the sight any longer, he swung his tail around in an attempt to smash the crystal…

…And was shocked when his tail went straight through it.

He jumped back from the stone then, throwing caution to the wind, shot through the wall and into the unknown.

* * *

><p>Cynder peered curiously at the stone above her. She knew that there had to be a way back up to the surface, even if it was hidden. The problem is that hidden paths are hard to find, as she was just discovering. When it was clear that the way that she had come down was sealed, she had flown around the cavern and adjoining tunnels, trying to find a way back to the surface but had only found dead ends and alcoves. Fortunately, she wasn't done yet.<p>

She began to draw the surrounding shadows into an orb in front of her then, when she couldn't hold it any longer, sent it flying towards the fissures location where it exploded with great force, causing a lot of the roof to come down where she would have been if she hadn't had the sense to move.

Pleased with herself for pulling it off, she spread her wings and prepared to fly but when she saw that there was still a wall of stone in her path, her heart fell. Flying up to it, she could just see a crack where the tunnel had been.

She sighed and was about to fly down again when she heard a faint chime ring out across the cavern. Looking down she saw that all the crystals wear bristling energy that was all centering on the large shards around the center of the room. She flew down to the edge of the arcs. As she landed, they all converged on the center if the room where they all compacted together before opening up to form a wall of golden light that spanned the room.

Her curiosity awakened, she moved towards the barrier but was knocked back by a fast moving blur that came flying out from it. Dazed but still conscious, she rolled with it and came up on top with her claws at its neck, ready to tear it to shreds.

"What did I do this time, Cynder?"


	3. Chapter 2: Running Low

Running Low

The lone figure sat outside the city walls, staring at the massive amount of stonework before him. He had been planning his entrance into the city and had all that equipment to get inside. The only problem was that when he had made his plans; there had been a giant hole in the entrenchments that the golem had made.

"How do you rebuild a hundred meter breach in under a day?" He cried in exasperation. And, looking down the arc of the wall, span the whole span of it looked as if it had just been built. It was then that he was standing on the edge of a forest that had been open plain only a day earlier.

"Okay, time for a new plan." He mumbled before turning to run back through the forest.

As he ran, he was trying to think of a new way into the city. His plan B had been to scale the wall but, due to its repair, there were no longer any hand holds for him.

He skidded to a stop, turning to look at the mountain above the city.

"Climbing's not an option." He sighed. "The cliff face is too exposed. I'd be seen long before I got into the city." He then turned to look at the river but that wasn't an option either. "The grating over the outlet would take too much effort to cut through." With that, he ran back to his camp.

* * *

><p>Sparx sighed and stared down at the city. Life was slowly coming back to normal in Warfang. Those that had chosen to hide during the war were trickling back to the city as they heard the news of Malefor's defeat. Others that had been living far enough that they had been oblivious to the fighting that was taking place and were coming to 'help the poor survivors'." He had chuckled to himself at the thought.<p>

What he was still upset about was the fact that Spyro and Cynder were still missing a week after their fight with the dark master. All the search parties that had been sent out had come back with nothing and the pair was assumed dead by all but him and hunter.

"They'll show up when their ready." Came a voice from the corner of the hall.

"I know that." Replied Sparx. "I just wish that the others had the same faith in them. I'd know if he was dead."

Hunter stepped from the shadows and came to stand next to him. "They still have Ignitus with them. I'm sure they're safe wherever they are."

"I'd still like to know where that is." Said Sparx, flying off towards the living quarters. He was in such a rush that he didn't see Terrador coming the other way.

"Be careful where you are going, young one." He said, peeling the dragonfly off his chest. Sparx just grunted and flew off.

"He's still upset by the fact you gave up on his brother." Said Hunter from the balcony.

"Neither him nor the others have shown up in the pool of visions" replied Terrador. "We've been unable to find them by searching and the chronicler, who has always helped when we've asked, has not appeared when we've asked for their location. There is no chance that they are still alive." He turned to face the brown furred cheetah. "Why must you keep encouraging him?"

Hunter frowned and moved to walk out of the hall. "Ignitus never gave up hope of Spyro defeating Malefor." He said turning to face him. "How is this any different?"

* * *

><p>He finished packing his camp, a task that did not take very long. All he had was his sleeping roll and his hunting tools. Collecting them up, he stalked off towards the city. "There's still one way into the city." He muttered as he trudged through the bush. The forest falling silent in his wake.<p>

As he got closer to the road, he could hear the traffic of the ex-refugees in the road ahead. When he got within sight, he moved into the shadows and kept hidden from travellers. There was a ragtag group of cheetahs walking past that looked like they had had some bad luck on the road. When they had passed he stepped out of the bushes and followed them towards the main gate.

There was a small group of guards on the gate, checking the refugees entering the city. He smiled to himself. "This is going to be easy."

* * *

><p>"Terrador!" Cyril came up the stairs behind the earth dragon, out of breath.<p>

"What's the problem Cyril?" Terrador sighed.

"All the refugees pouring into the area have left us with a food shortage." Cried Cyril. "We need to find more supplies as soon as possible."

Terrador sighed and turned to stare at the ice guardian. "Can we send any of them elsewhere?"

"The villages in Avalar can take some, but that's only the temporary solution. We need to find another source of food."

"I can think of one." Said hunter. "But you're not going to like it."

"We're out of options." Sighed Terrador. "We need any help we can get."

"Even from the kingdom?" muttered hunter.

"What!" cried Cyril? "Why would we get help from those bird brains?"

"Because there is no one else to go to." Said Volteer, walking into the room. We need the supplies and they're the only group big enough to trade with.

"And what do we have to trade?" yelled Cyril "We lost all our gems in the war and we can't grow them fast enough."

"They won't want crystals anyway." Said Terrador "The only thing they'll take is someone to teach their mages. The problem is, all their mages use fire magic."

Hunter frowned. "Don't you have anyone who can train them?"

Volteer opened his mouth to rant a reply but stopped when he saw the look on Terrador's face. "Our best fire users were Ignitus and Spyro. With them missing, we have nothing to trade with the kingdom." The room fell silent.

"How do you know that if you haven't talked to them?" asked hunter, leaving the room.


	4. Chapter 3: Going Up

Going Up

"Spyro!" She cried out in surprise before realizing what she had been about to do to him. "Sorry about that." She said, lowering her claws. "You surprised me, appearing from nowhere like that."

Spyro chuckle to himself. "I wasn't exactly expecting that myself." They picked themselves up, looking each other over, checking for injuries. When that was done, they sat down and carefully stared away from each other.

"I still haven't found a way out yet." Said Cynder, looking over at Spyro.

"I could see that from where I was stuck." He replied. "How's the head?"

At the mention of her attempts to get out, her head started throbbing again. "All the better for your asking." She groaned. "The roofs sealed over. We won't be getting out that way."

Spyro frowned and looked at the roof again. Then, gathering his energy, he felt through the earth around him, looking for anything that could be a way out. When his mind reached the roof, he found the opening he was looking for, a small crack, running up to a wider chamber a good distance up. Channeling his energy into the gap, he forced it wider until it was big enough for a small dragon to crawl through.

Beside him, Cynder laughed. "There's never an easy way, is there"

Spyro smiled to himself. "Do you feel up to climbing?"

She replied by leaping off the ground towards the tunnel. "Race you to the top."

He grinned and leapt after her.

* * *

><p>Hours later, the pair climbed into another chamber, completely exhausted. Spyro crawled over to flat ground while Cynder moved over to sit beside him.<p>

"This looks like a good place to rest." He said, out of breath.

They stared at the tunnel they had just climbed out of. The path down had been quick but they were both realizing that the journey back uphill was always the harder one.

"Are we near the top yet?" she asked, whilst trying to remain still to keep her muscles from aching.

He tried to feel through the earth but found his energy slipping away from him. "I'm too exhausted to find out at the moment." He sighed. "Let me rest and gather more energy and then we'll try again."

This confused Cynder. "How do you plan on getting energy here? There are no gems in the cavern and I doubt there's anything to eat down here."

Spyro just smiled and closed his eyes. Cynder gave him a strange look and was about to go to sleep herself when she saw a mist begin swirling around him causing her to give a small yelp of surprise.

He was oblivious to her as the mist drew into his body and the air was clear once again. His eyes snapped open and, with a yawn, he stretched himself out and lay down in a more comfortable position.

"Cynder sat there blinking, unable to work out what had just happened but she decided that it could wait until later. Stretching out next to him, she lay there until the darkness took her.

* * *

><p>She sat there waiting while Spyro searched for the next section of the tunnel to open. The climb up had been hard enough so far and Cynder was worried about how much was left. After several minutes of waiting, the hole in the roof slid open. However, there was a light on the other side this time.<p>

"The tunnel moves through to a larger one this time." He said with a hint of a grin on his face. "I won't need to use my earth element for a while."

"What about the light at the end of the tunnel." She said grinning in return.

"What light?" he said, staring up the tunnel.

Cynder frowned. "There's a small glow through that hole. Can't you see it?"

As their gaze met, they could both see the problem.

"Can we go another way?" she asked looking around the room.

"There is no other way." He sighed in return. "This is starting to smell like a trap."

Cynder brought her gaze level with his. "So what do we do now?"

He returned her gaze then carefully brought himself up to the hole where, with the utmost caution, he pulled himself through into the next passage. Once he was through, he sent a fireball flying down the passage to see what was ahead.

"It's clear." He called and was moments later joined by Cynder. "There's no light here but mine."

Cynder stared at the tunnel ahead. "If it's not here now, where did it go?"

Spyro glanced back at her. "Are you sure that there was something here."

"I know what I saw." She harrumphed. "Just because it's not here now doesn't mean it wasn't here before.

Spyro nodded. "That's what I was afraid of."

Together, they crept down the passage, all the while, expecting something to leap out of the shadows. After what seemed like ages, they came across a fork in the path.

"Okay earth man." Laughed Cynder. "Which way do we go?"

Once again, Spyro sat down and let the earthen aura envelop him. However, after several minutes, he got up before blasting a boulder to dust.

"I can't tell which way to go." He said in a huff. "From here on out, all the tunnels become a labyrinth."

"So in other words, we're lost" she sighed. "That seems about right." They both looked into the darkness. "We still need to keep going. You might be able to draw in energy but I have no idea how."

"Cynder, you can't sense any breezes coming from either passage can you?" he asked.

She turned to him, looking confused. Then, catching his meaning, walked to the center of the fork and sat down. A white aura began to form around her as she concentrated on the airflow of the passage. "The left one." She said, opening her eyes. "The one with a glowing light at the end."

"What?" Spyro moved to look down the tunnel. "I see it this time. Do we go the other way?"

"No." she said grinning. "This feels like the passage to the surface. If something wants to show us the way, who are we to refuse their help."

"Besides." Said Spyro, walking down the passage. "We just took on the strongest dragon of the age. If whatever it is turns violent."

"Then that's its own fault." She finished, following after him.


	5. Chapter 4: Gryphons Meet

Gryphons meet

"Remind me what we're doing again" said Sparx, bored with watching what the others were doing.

"What we're doing." Said Cyril in a huff. "Is Wasting time. We're still on bad terms with the kingdom. What's more, we have nothing that they'll want."

The guardians had cleared out the only room in the citadel keep that had a mirror in it and were currently waiting for Terrador to prepare a communication spell.

"How is this even supposed to work?" Sparx asked, buzzing over to the green giant. I thought dragons could only master one type of magic, purple dragons and Cynder excepted."

Volteer took a deep breath. "Actually, while dragons can normally only master one element, there are many other types of magic that they can use. For example…"

"Enough Volteer." Cried Terrador. "I'm having enough trouble concentrating on the spell as is." The thunder dragon fell silent with a sheepish look on his face. Sparx through his hands in the air and flew off into the hallway.

"It's finished."

The dragonfly whizzed back into the room. "So What now?"

"Now we find out what it's going to take to get they're help." The earth dragon moved in front of the mirror. As he started muttering, a white aura formed on the glass surface until it was completely covered. It lasted for several moments until a voice rang out from the mirror.

"Identify yourself and state your intention."

The green dragon drew himself up. "I Am Terrador, guardian of earth in Warfang. I seek an audience with the high gryphon, that is, if she's not busy."

"One moment." The screen got brighter before fading to show a room not unlike the one they were in. the only exception being the figures in it. They looked and move like cheetahs. However, they had feathers instead of fur, talons instead of paws and the one in the center had a pair of wing folded behind her.

"It's been a long time since I've heard from the dragon realms." Said the leading figure. "I am Fortis, queen of the gryphons. To what do I owe to this visit?"

He glanced over at the others. "We need supplies. Our city has had a large influx of refugees and it's taking a large toll on our food stores."

"Really?" she said, perking up at the mention of refugees. "I would be willing to help with that. However, the refugees have to have come from somewhere and I'm sure that the fact that it's you bringing this request to me instead of head guardian Ignitus is relevent. Would you care to explain this?"

Terrador tensed up. He had been hoping to avoid the subject of the missing fire guardian. "It is quite a long story. I fear the spell may not last that long."

"Then you had better make it last that long." she snapped. "I will not send any of my subjects into a situation that I know nothing about."

Giving a sigh, he began to tell her of everything that had happened during the war, with Hunter and the other guardians giving details when necessary. Fortis sat, listening to his every word until he reached the part involving the fire guardian leaving to take on Malefor with the younger pair.

"You're telling me that you sent two young-lings and a dinosaur to take on the greatest threat of our time?" She yelled.

"It was foretold that Spyro would be the one to defeat Malefor." Replied Cyril, calmly. "You of all people should realize the power of prophesy."

She fell silent with a sullen look until they had finished the tale. "At least this explains the events over the past few days."

"We have enough food to last us for a month or two." Said hunter from the corner of the room. "After that, we'll have to turn them out and the closest place with food is you. At least with your help, we can hold out until harvest time.

She stared out the window, thinking hard. "I will need a couple of days to discuss this with my advisers. You can be sure that the price will be high."

"After what our two races have been through." Said Volteer. "I would expect nothing less."

The gryphon nodded and, with a flash, the view disappeared and the mirror showed their reflection once again and the five of them were left in silence.

"How could she not know about Malefor?" Cried Sparx, breaking the calm.

"The affairs of our realms have not been of interest to the kingdom for some time now. Stated Terrador. "Ancestors know why."

"So what now?" asked hunter, walking over.

"We need to keep looking for Spyro." Said Cyril. "Hopefully, we can get the chroniclers help."

"What about Ignitus?" asked Sparx.

The others were confused. "What about him?" replied Terrador.

"You've been trying to find the three of them for the past week without success. I know that you tried a locator spell in Spyro and Cynder, but you've forgotten that they weren't the only dragons to go pay Malefor a visit."

"He's right!" Terrador cried. "I should still have a locator spell left." he rushed past the other guardians out of the room and back to his study, closely followed by Sparx and Hunter.

"We'll try and find any other supply sources." Called Cyril as they left.

Reaching the room, he immediately started looking for the spell. "Bottom shelf." Said Sparx as he flew into the room.

Terrador grabbed the spell and rushed back to the mirror. Upon reaching it, he waited for the others to catch up before he cast the spell. Reading it of the scroll, the mirror was once again covered in a bright white aura. As the light faded, it showed a room in which, there were shelves on all the walls filled with scrolls.

"I thought the spell was supposed to show Ignitus." Said Sparx, sounding confused.

"It was." Replied the earth guardian, equally perplexed.

"So why is it showing the chroniclers library?" The dragonfly buzzed closer to get a better view.

"Because this is where I now reside." A large blue dragon walked out from behind the shelves in the center of the room.

"Ignitus!" The earth dragon stuttered as he recognized his old friend. "What happened to you?"

"Last time I saw you, you were looking a lot redder." Muttered Sparx.

Ignitus chuckled. "What happens to someone when they die differs as per the situation. Yes, I did indeed die and at the end of the age. As such, a new chronicler was required."

"Wait!" cried Sparx. "If you're the great know it all now, can you tell us where Spyro is."

"I'm afraid not." He said, bowing his head. "For whatever reason, I have been unable to locate neither him nor Cynder. Once they left to fight Malefor, their books are blank from that moment on."

Terrador heaved a great sigh at his words whilst Hunter bowed his head in sadness.

"Does that mean they're dead?" Whispered the young dragonfly.

"No." All their eyes turned back to him. "They are indeed alive. I am just unable to find them."

"So what are we supposed to do now?" said hunter, mildly annoyed at this development."

"There is someone who can find them." Ignitus said, smiling warmly.

"Where can we find him?" Cried Sparx. "We need them back now!"

"You'll find him sitting outside the window eavesdropping."


	6. Chapter 5: Trespassers

Trespassers

Upon hearing Ignitus's words, Hunter rushed over to the window, reaching over the sill to grab the eavesdropper. After a brief scuffle and plenty of colourful words, he managed to pull the trespasser into the room, who kept trying to get away from him up until he had a dragons tail blade pressed up against his neck.

"Where do you get the nerve to try and break into the council chambers?" said Cyril, carefully advancing the figure, careful not to hurt him in the process.

He kept stuttering, unable to form his answer but, as his back came up against Volteer's flank, he quickly found his voice. "Please don't hurt me, I meant no harm."

"Then tell us why you were there."

He was silent for a moment. Then, after glancing around at the dragon behind him, he sighed. "I began in a city far from here. I only came because that monster walked straight through it. When it was gone, the elders that someone should follow it and see where it went. I was picked because I was the one who had previously travelled furthest from the city."

Hunter interrupted him. "How long have you been following it?"

"I have been travelling for almost a year ago. My home is a very long way from here."

Cyril applied pressure to the feline's neck "That still doesn't explain why you were listening at the window."

"Hang on a moment." Everyone turned to face Sparx. "How did you get there in the first place? You would have been seen if you came through here and there's at least a hundred meter drop outside."

"Would you believe I flew?" he said, smiling for the first time.

Terrador shook his head. "A flight spell is very strong magic. Something like that would leave a trace and I can't detect anything."

"That's because I ported instead."

The ice guardian could not understand his statement and expressed his displeasure at this by removing his tail and instead placing his claws around his throat. "What the devil are you talking about?"

"He means that he teleported up there." said Terrador, as he calmly removed the ice dragons' claws. "This means he had to have help."

"No-one helped me, I made it here myself."

"Then how did you make it to the window? The only races that can use magic are dragons and phoenix's and you are neither."

"Then I think a demonstration might help." With that he pulled away from the dragon and vanished with a sharp crack, only to reappear on the other side of the room.

Volteer was the first to talk as Terrador was carefully trying to hold Cyril back. "While that is impressive and I would like to know how you did it, you still have not answered the question that was put before you."

"The reason I was listening at the window?" That was because I watched two creatures, of which I had never even heard of before; bring down the biggest monster I had ever seen. Even with all I've seen and heard, I still have trouble understanding exactly who or what you are."

"We can go over that later." said Sparx, flying between the two groups. "For now, what did old blue mean when he said that this fellow could help us?"

"I think he meant that I can port you to him."

The pair ran down the tunnel. They had long since given up the notion of moving unseen when they realized that something knew they were there anyway.

"Left turn ahead." cried Cynder.

"You first."

As she reached the bend, she leapt up on to the wall and ran around the corner, closely followed by Spyro. They had been running along the passage for some time now and since they knew they were close to whatever was guiding them, they were prepared for whatever would try to come after them.

"We'd better stop up ahead." said Spyro.

"Don't tell me you're tired already."

"No. But that next bend is the last one and I'd like to take it a bit slower."

They both slowed down and crept up to the corner where they both came to a stop before peering around the corner.

"There's nothing there." she said.

The chamber was big, so big that they were unable to see the top of it. On the other side, another passage was visible with the light shining from it.

"Think it's a trap?"

"Of course it's a trap. I've walked into enough of yours to know when things are too easy."

"If this is a trap, it's set in the worse possible location. There's nowhere to hide and plenty of space for us to get airborne."

"That's what worries me." He stared around the Chamber. "Whatever's out there, it has to be good to stay hidden in that place. There was an alcove back there. I suggest we go rest up."

She nodded in agreement and they both turned back the way they had come.

Terrador had sent hunter to get some food for the stranger whilst Cyril had left, wanting nothing more to do with him.

"Teleporting them from wherever they are to Warfang is a good plan and I trust Ignitus enough to trust someone I know nothing about. This mission is on of utmost urgency. However, there is still the problem of locating them."

"There's no problem. The fact that I've seen them should allow me to port within close proximity to them. My problem is that I don't know what I'm teleporting into. I'm good enough to avoid any obstacles but my knowledge of this area is nil."

"I can prepare a map if you like."

The feline shook his head. "While a map would be nice, I'd much prefer a guide. Whilst a map shows me a location, a guide would know all the shortcuts."

"I'd be willing to take that role." said Hunter, walking into the room with his food.

They young dragons had made themselves as comfortable as they could in their hidden alcove. It was large enough to easily fit the two of them while the entrance was only visible when seen from the right direction. Since whatever was guiding them was always in front of them, they felt they were safe enough.

"Spyro?"

"What is it?" came a tired reply.

"Where have you been getting all that energy from? You never did that when you were fighting me or Malefor."

There was silence for a moment, then…

"When I was young, my adoptive parents used to feed me the same things as Sparx. This was okay when I was a hatchling, the diet was surprisingly filling."

"It would be if you were forced to eat worms every day." chuckled Cynder.

"As I grew, I found that it wasn't enough. However, there was nothing else for something my size to eat in the swamp. I actually learnt how to do it the same way I learnt my other abilities."

"By accident."

Hunter was, for the first time in his life, felling nervous.

"Are you "sure this will work?"

"Definitely. I've taken people with me before. They've always come through in one piece."

"Why doesn't that make me feel any better?"

The pair had made their final preparations before moving into the courtyard. After he had had the process of teleportation explained to him, Hunter Had almost back out of the mission. However, after much coaxing from the stranger and plenty of yelling from Sparx, he had reluctantly gathered his equipment.

"I don't suppose you could tell me your name?"

"It's Cirion. Why do you ask?"

"Because if this fails and we die because of it, I want to know who to beat up on the other side."

"Don't worry." said Cirion, laughing at the cheetahs discomfort. "Porting is as simple as…"

SNAP!


	7. Chapter 6: Unexpected Complications

6. Unexpected Complications

"What in ancestors name was that?"

"That was me distracting you whilst we ported."

Hunter looked around. They were no longer in the city but were in fact, in an underground passage. Cirion tried to prepare a locator spell but found his progress impeded.

"Since we made it safely, is there any chance you could remove that blade from my neck. I got enough sharp objects pointed at me by that blue lizard."

He sheathed his sword but kept his hands firmly on the hilt. "You could have warned me you were going to do that!"

He pulled out the scroll for the locator and unfurled it. "If I had, you would have just protested. This way was quieter, even if it was more painful."

The feline began reading the runes on the page, quickly becoming lost in his job. Hunter tried to focus on the tunnel around them but soon found that it was much too dark, even for him. He shuffled through his pack, trying to find a torch. Unfortunately, he hadn't planned on ending up in a cave and hadn't thought to bring one along.

"How are we supposed to find them when I can't even see?"

"Just follow my voice. They're this way"

The pair walked along the passage, moving slow enough for the cheetah to avoid tripping. "How do you where we're going?"

"As well as being able to teleport, I can also see in the dark."

"Where do you learn these things?"

"I picked them up from my father. He taught me quite a lot of things. How to hunt. The best way to fight." He stopped suddenly, catching Hunter by surprise. "And how to make and see through illusions."

* * *

><p>Cynder awoke to the sound of claws scraping on the stone behind her. Turning her head, she saw Spyro sharpening his claws on the stone wall of the alcove. "Is that really necessary?"<p>

"We're about to enter a cavern that is too suspicious for my liking. It's better to be safe."

"Since when did you stop rushing into situations unchecked."

Spyro laughed. "Since we left Sparx behind."

The pair crept towards the exit to the alcove, carefully peering into the passage before stepping out and walking towards the chamber.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean illusions?" Hunter stared into the chamber, trying to see through the darkness.<p>

"What I mean is that I can see as clear as day. This chamber has enough crystals to show me exactly what is trying to stay hidden."

"But its pitch black!"

"Darkness is one of the easiest illusions to master. These creatures have got it down to an art."

"What are you talking about, what creatures?"

Cirion stared at him for a moment. "Hold still a sec." he said, placing his hand on the cheetahs' forehead. "This may tickle."

"What may…" Light suddenly flooded his vision, blinding him. He stepped back from his Cirion and blinked. "Would you stop doing that?"

"Sorry, I just thought you might want to see this."

Hunter looked up and saw the fox like creature standing before him. After the talk about illusions, it didn't surprise him much. What did surprise him was the small pair of wing sitting on the back of his head.

"In hind sight, I should probably have hidden them better." he sighed to himself.

"So how do you fly with them? They seem a bit small." said Hunter, failing to keep himself from laughing.

"Keep it up and you'll be dealing with those things alone."

Looking where his companion was pointing, he lost all urge to laugh. Crawling on the roof above them was a host of impossibly proportioned spiders, each one as big as himself. "How many are there?"

"Better question. What do we do about them?"

"Can't we just go around?"

"The floors and walls are lined with a web of some kind. I'd bet that they're sticky enough to hold that snobbish geezer of a dragon for a few minutes."

"Why only a few minutes?"

"Because that's how long I think he could hold out against those things."

Despite his great respect for the ice guardian, Hunter had to agree with him.

"Could you teleport across?"

"I could, but the noise from it would probably alert them. They'd chase us and I doubt we'd find the pair we're searching for before they caught us."

"So what do we do now?"

"We wait for the dragons over there to spring the trap. That is them, isn't it?"

Hunter stared across to the other side of the cavern. Spyro and Cynder were just were just emerging from the passage, oblivious to what they were walking into. He was about to call out to them when a hand clamped over his mouth.

"If you yell, they will find us as well."

"We can't just let them get caught. They'll be torn apart."

Cirion focused on the web at his feet. Taking his knife, he cut a small piece of it and inspected it closely. "Think this stuff's flammable?"

"Even if it is, we have nothing with which to light it."

He stared back towards the dragons, and then to the passage they had just exited. "We need to get them back down that tunnel."

"Are you crazy? It leads away from the surface!"

"The dragons have just come from there. They should know of any defensible locations."

"But we'll be cut off from the surface!"

"We ported. Remember?" he said, giving Hunter a blank look.

He began to reply but stopped when he saw the spiders begin there descent. "If you have a plan…"

Get them down the tunnel! I'll take care of the details."

* * *

><p>The young dragons crept across cavern. Despite Spyros's worries, there didn't seem to be anything else that they could sense. Which is why they were surprised when something knocked Spyro back down the passage they had just exited. Cynder rushed back to help him but found her foot was stuck. When the figure had detached himself from Spyro, he rushed back towards her, sword drawn. She ducked into a defensive position but stopped when she saw who it was.<p>

"Hunter!"

He halted in front of her and began to slash around the ground at her feet. "You need to go back. This place is a trap." He looked up then, swearing to himself, he dragged her by the tail back into the passage. As they reached the opening, she wrenched her tail away from him.

"What are you doing here!"

Spyro moved behind him, boxing him in. "How are you here?"

"I'm here because I was searching for you two. How I got here can wait until we're somewhere safe. Is there anywhere we can fortify ourselves?"

"Why?"

"Because those things aren't all that patient." He glanced up again and, seeing the creatures begin there descent, ran down the passage. "For now, just run."

Cynder started to argue but found she found she was talking to air.


	8. Chapter 7: Getting Out

**Apologies. I was missing my beta reader and after many delays, I've had to publish this without them.**

7. Getting Out

Spyro finally caught up to hunter just as they reached the alcove they had been resting in moments earlier. "Over there."

They both got inside just as Cynder caught up. She crept through the gap, she turned on the cheetah and pinned him to the wall with her talons. Spyro jumped back to avoid the sudden movement. "What are you doing!"

She ignored him. "How did you get us to Warfang from you village?"

"Through the passage of the ancients." he said, struggling to get air.

She held him for a few moments longer, staring deep into his sapphire eyes. Then as suddenly as she had grabbed him, she let him drop to the ground where he sat gasping for breath. "I had to be sure it was you."

"I understand, young one. It's good to see you alive, young ones."

Spyro nudged past Cynder and held out his paw to the cheetah up. "If you're here, we can't be that far from the surface."

The cheetah sighed and "I'm afraid it's not that simple. I don't actually know how far down we are."

"If you made it down here, how can you not know where we are?"

Before he could answer, they heard the clatter of many legs on rock. Cynder turned to face the entrance of the alcove. "Block the entrance, Spyro."

Gathering his earth energy, he began to close the fissure they had entered by. He was unable to stop one creature from getting through but the others that were too slow were crushed by the sheer weight of the stone. Within moments, Cynder was on the creature and brought her tail up to run it through.

"Hunter, would you kindly tell this bellicose lizard to get off me?"

She paused, not expecting such a response from what she considered to be prey. She turned to hunter, a confused look on her face.

"This is the person who helped me find you." he said with his face buried in his free hand. "Though if we can get him to help us back to the surface now is something I don't know."

"I don't know." chuckled the fox as he tried get out of Cynders claws. "I haven't had this much fun since…"

"Since what?"

"I'll tell you later. For now, let's get out of these damp quarters."

But as hunter was still unsure of the vulpine, he kept his knife at the ready.

SNAP!

* * *

><p>"Something's wrong."<p>

The scenery faded into blackness before a cloaked figure stepped out of the darkness. "What's wrong?"

"The subject is resisting our efforts to look into his memories any further."

"Can we force our way in?"

"Not without damaging his mind, and if we do that, we may never recover all the fragment of his past." The cloaked figure looked over the speaker. He was a small, white furred fox with a single brown stripe running down his back. He was struggling to hold down a third figure that was convulsing on the bed to the back of the room.

"What would you advise then, Griggs?"

The vulpine called Griggs sighed. "I don't have the energy to keep him unconscious much longer. He'll stay asleep until I can get clear of this cell. After that, the enchantments should keep him in."

"I wouldn't count on it." replied the cloaked figure. "Those charms are only known to block fire magic and I saw him do much more than that."

"Really?" said Griggs as he pulled away from the waking figure and ran for the door. "This should be entertaining then."

"I think education would be a better word."

When the sleeping fox became conscious, the first thing he noticed was that it was darker than when he had fallen asleep. As his vision cleared, he saw that this was because he was in a cell. Trying to get up, he found there was something holding his arms down and, after staring hard at them, saw the chains running from them to the ground.

Realizing he had been imprisoned, he gathered up his energy and channelled it to his arms where he summoned up white hot flames and directed them at his bindings.

At first it looked like it was working as the chains began to glow but, despite all the energy he poured in, they wouldn't brake. So he cancelled the flow of magic and stared at them. As the chains glow faded, he noticed the fine runes on each link before, those too faded.

The vulpine frowned, and tried to pull them closer to get a better look. Summoning a small flare, he engulfed on of the links in it and waited for the runes to reappear. As they faded into being, he stretched his head closer to read them.

* * *

><p>"Well I'm impressed." murmured Griggs to the figure next to him. "Every person that's been put in those chains normally can't even summon a spark." They started back towards the bars of the cell door but stopped as there was a thunderous roar from the other end of the corridor.<p>

"What are you two doing, standing around! I told you to interrogate the prisoner!" Both foxes turned to look at the figure bearing down on them. He was also a fox with white fur but a grey stripe on his back. "Need I remind the pair of you what happens to slackers in this town?"

"He has begun to resist my attempts at looking through his memories and I am too tired to continue."

"Then I will just have to finish the job." The burly canid started towards the cell but was stopped by the cloaked figure. At the sight of the other fox blocking him, his expression went dark and, whilst Griggs took several steps back, the vulpine stood his ground. "Perhaps you are forgetting, Thillion, just who is in charge here?"

"Oh, I know you're in charge, Ren. I just don't want you getting hurt."

Ren was furious at that. He raised his fist to take a swing at Thillion when a resounding crack prompted them to run back to the cell door. Griggs was the first to reach it and behold the sight inside.

The black vulpine that had been chained to the table was standing in the center of the room with bright green markings glowing on his arms and back. The chains were still attached to his wrists but the other ends were trailing on the ground behind him. "Why am I here?" he cried at the trio.

Thillion was the first to snap out of the trance. "You were brought here after we rescued you with that group of featherbrained inbreeds."

They all jumped back as a lightning bolt arced between them. "They were trying to help me find my way."

"I find that highly unlikely." Snorted Ren, as he inched back to get any sort of weapon he could find. He managed to reach a sword that Griggs had left in the passage but, as he wrapped his hand around it, a wave of energy leapt from it and into him, shocking him on the spot and causing him to fall unconscious.

The other two glanced at him worryingly but, when he began to snore, they turned back to they're prisoner. "What did you do?" they said simultaneously.

"Electricity takes a bit to disperse. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be leaving." As he stepped up to the bars of his cell, the other two to jumped back in anticipation. He began to summon his earth element and focus it around the bars, but suddenly dropped to his knees clutching his head. He sat there groaning for a moment before lifting his head. "What did you do to me?"

"We were looking through your memories." said Thillion, quietly thanking his stars for their sense of timing. "We were asked to find out why you were with those birds."

He yelled out a second time and collapsed further "And yet, that's not what you did up there."

"Only because we saw a familiar name in some memory fragments." He opened the door and started undoing his bonds. "You are free to go."

"I sense a but somewhere in that sentence." he said, massaging life back into his wrists.

"We want to know how you got those memories of Cirion."


	9. Chapter 8: Memories Hurt

A1.9. Memories Hurt

The lone figure assessed the view of the fortress out his window. His rooms' location commanded an amazing view of the lake inside the fortress and the park on the waterside. Looking to the left, there were soldiers practicing their manoeuvres in the far courtyard. To his right, construction was still underway on a structure he would have guessed was accommodation for all the troops and their supporting staff. He smiled to himself. 'Not getting out of here any time soon.'

A knock on the door brought his attention back into focus. "What is it?"

The door opened to reveal a short vulpine that looked like he was barely out of his teens. "The master of the fortress asks how you like your new room."

"Tell him that a gilded cage is still a cage." The young fox smiled at the reply and backed out of the room but broke into a run the minute he cleared the room. When he was out of sight, a hooded head peered around the corner.

"I see your reputation is starting to spread." said Thillion. "It's because since you laid out Ren yesterday."

The vulpine shrugged. "How is the big slob?"

"He's awake, finally."

The young fox smiled before "You never told me why you wanted to know about Cirion."

Thillion carefully pulled the door closed behind him. He then examined the windows, as if he thought there was someone just outside them. "None of the following conversation is to leave this room, understood?"

The black vulpine just smiled. "What conversation?"

The grey nosed fox nodded and they sat at the table in the centre of the room. "Cirion was the first fox with a natural magical talent, one of the only people out of thousands of our kind and mine and Griggs only true friend."

"Any idea how he gained that skill?"

"I know exactly how, But I don't plan on telling you." he said in a huff.

"Fair enough, shall we go?" They both got up and moved to the door.

"Oh, Ren wants to see you when we're done"

"Should I take anything with me?"

"You should do fine." he said, as he pretended to throw a fireball at him.

Griggs jumped as they entered the room but settled down when he saw who it was. "It's about time you two got here!"

Thillion just grinned. "Since when have you ever known me to turn up on time?"

"Reynard is in a foul enough mood as it is without you messing up his schedule."

"I didn't realize he was interested in our work."

Griggs glanced at the third fox before pulling Thillion out of hearing range. "He's not. He wants you to organize a search party to look for the others that our visitor helped to escape when you found him."

"He seriously thinks they'd still be anywhere near here? They'll have run the minute they knew we had found them."

"I agree but Ren's always been too paranoid for his own good."

Thillion considered this for a while then, with a sigh, turned for the door. "I'll check, just to be sure. And with that, he left.

Griggs stared after him, then, turning back to his subject. "I guess you heard all that then?"

"Honestly, standing across the room from me will not render me unable to hear what you say."

"What can I say? It was worth a shot."

"I can tell you right now that he's not going to find them. I trained them myself."

Griggs frowned as he sat down next to a bed. "Say that in front of Ren and he'll have you strung up for treason."

"I was brought up in a land far from here. I have never lived by the laws of either the gryphons or the foxes and I don't intend to start now."

"Not sure he'll see it that way." he snorted, as he adjusted a set of straps on the bed.

"Are those really necessary?"

"Last time I tried this with you, you were thrashing by the end of it. I just don't want to get hit. Now come on. I'd like to be finished before Ren does take an interest in this."

Thillion stepped out into the courtyard; he paused to enjoy the sunlight he had been missing the past week, the way that it flowed over him and temporarily dulled his senses. This is why he didn't notice the looming figure coming up behind him until his large shadow blocked out the warmth. Frowning, he turned towards the source of the shade. "You called for me Ren?"

The large vulpine, stunned before he could shout, rallied quickly. "You've been ordered to search for the gryphon caravan that passed by here a few days ago."

"You mean the one that is back in their territory?"

Thillion took great enjoyment from the look of surprise that suddenly crossed the white foxes features. "What makes you think that?"

"Because I had my young friend in the scouts follow them after the battle. The only reason I think they were here was to get our prisoner to his destination"

"And where the hell is that supposed to be?"

I don't know, but you're free to ask him when he wakes up. Only this time, make sure neither of you are near anything metal."

The first thing hunter did when the world stopped spinning was to check that everyone was alright. Once this was done, he swung around and delivered swift fist to Cirion's jaw. He knew he was going to regret this later but when you feel like your guts just got pulled up through nose, you don't tend to think too quickly. He regretted it instantly for, as he looked around, he realized that they were not back in Warfang as he had thought and that he had just knocked down they're fastest method of travel.

"Yeah;" came a groan from the ground; "that's what I thought when I was taught to port."

"I thought you were going to take us back to Warfang?"

The vulpine pulled himself to his knees and looked around him. "Bugger;" he said with a hint of annoyance. "Why did it have to be now?"

"Hey!" both of turned to the dragons that they had escaped their attention. Cynder had disappeared from sight but they knew she was nearby somewhere. They only knew this, however, because Spyro was yelling at them, rather than looking for her. "Would either of you like to explain how we came to be in the middle of a forest?"

Hunter just shook his head and they both turned to face Cirion, who was starting to wish he had never followed the destroyer.

"As I told you, I don't always have control of my porting ability;" he stared up at the trees around him. "But wherever we are, we have to be here for a reason."

So what now?" they all turned to see Cynder walking out of the trees, though only Cirion noticed the specks of blood on her tail and claws.

"We need to find anyone that might need help around here. I won't be able to port until it's done, but first;" he motioned to where Cynders had come from; "is there any of that meat left?"


	10. Act II, Chapter 1: The Search

**I'm afraid i must apologise for the delay but when studies start, you lose time.**

A.2.1. The Search

"So we're lost?" said Cirion to Hunter. The group had been walking for hours through the forest.

"This is not my fault; replied the feline as he examined the surrounding area. "The growth here is so thick; I can't tell if there are any landmarks in the area. If I could see through the trees, I wouldn't have this problem."

The young fox looked up at the trees around him, then, checking the straps on his pack, he turned to Cynder to catch her attention. "Don't look at me;" she stated, "I didn't recognize any landmarks last time you sent me up."

"I know that, but I might."

A look of confusion crossed her face. Then she rolled her eyes as a smile crept onto her face. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do that."

"It's worth a shot. Besides, it can't be as bad as porting for your first time, can it?"

Before the others could ask what they were doing, Cynder had leapt up into the sky, throwing the fox onto her back as she went. They could only stare as the black shape disappeared the canopy. "That is the most reckless and stupid thing I have ever seen her come up with." Said Spyro, shaking his head in amazement.

"Seems like something Sparx would think of."

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling back there?" inquired Cynder once she leveled out.<p>

The vulpine, who was feeling worse by the second, was clinging for dear life to her spines. "I take back my previous comment."

"Fine by me. Now, can you tell where we are?"

He took a deep breath and managed to get a better seat on her back before examining the surrounding lands. Seeing a town in the distance, he frowned and carefully pulled a map from his pack.

"Recognize anything;" came a yell from below.

"Yes I do, unfortunately. If that's the town I think it is, then we're about two days from Warfang."

"Why is that unfortunate?"

Because that means that we're within gryphon territory, and they don't take to kindly to strangers." He motioned in the direction left of the town. "Warfang is that way. But we'll have to wait till night fall until you can fly home. We don't want to be seen."

"Let's go tell the others then." As she dived back down into the trees, only one thought kept him conscious; the fact he would have to explain this to the arrogant cheetah.

* * *

><p>"You want me to do what!"<p>

Cynder smiled as she wandered off into the trees, leaving her new friend to explain the plan to the others. She was trying to keep herself from falling into hysterics.

She was failing.

"I don't see the problem." Said Spyro, looking from Cirion to Hunter.

"It's honestly not that bad." Said Cirion with the straightest face he could manage.

"Says the fox who was screaming his head off not five minutes ago;" said Hunter, slumping his head in his hands.

"I wasn't expecting her to be that fast. I'm more used to slower fight."

"When have you ever been flying; he muttered?"

Instead of answering, he turned to Spyro. "Think you may have to carry him."

"Shouldn't be a problem. I've had to carry Cynder in the past."

There was an indignant huff from the bushes. "I don't remember that!"

"That's because you were unconscious at the time. Just ask Sparx when we get back."

A look of panic suddenly crossed her face. With a quick call of; "I'll take your word for it;" she once again dashed off into the undergrowth, leaving the other three staring after her.

Finally, Hunter turned to Spyro. "Any idea why she keeps disappearing like that?"

"Not a clue"

"Trust me, it's better that you don't know;" said Cirion, who could glean a sense of what she was thinking and thought now would be a good time for a change of subject. "Anyway Hunter, stop trying to change the subject. You're going up there. Night's falling. We need to get out of here as fast as we can and that's the fastest way."

As he reached out to grab Hunter, the cheetah made a grab for his sword, only to fold up on the forest floor.

Spyro looked around to see the fox rolling on the ground, whooping with laughter. Next to him stood Cynder, the small log that had been in her talons quickly disappearing into the undergrowth. As he caught her eye, she gave him an innocent smile. "So, do you want to carry him, or shall I?"

* * *

><p>Terrador looked out over the city and sighed. The Gryphons had agreed to send an emissary to assess the situation. She was due to arrive in three days. He was hoping, no, praying that hunter had returned with the two young dragons by that time for, now that there was no chance of Ignitus returning, he needed Spyro as the last trained fire dragon in order to make the deal with the gryphons.<p>

There in lay a second problem. He still hadn't told Vithis about Ignitus's death. When the emissary arrived, she would be expecting a fully trained fire master and dragon with a highly regarded talent for the element. It wasn't going to help negotiations when they discovered that there was only the novice left.

It was for this reason that he had called the meeting that was occupying his attention. Nine other figures occupied what had once been the chambers for the council of eight, the group of guardians whose purpose had been to both keep the peace and ensure that the magical knowledge of the dragon race was kept from harming it.

'How ironic,' he thought, smiling to himself, 'that he was gathered here to discuss the distribution of that very knowledge.'

To his immediate left and right stood the two other guardians, neither of them looked as worried as he felt but they had been together for long enough for him to know him better.

Next on the right was Prowlus, flanked by meadow. The cheetah chieftain had grudgingly made the trip into Warfang in the hope he could remove the unwanted squatters from his village and finally get the peace and quiet he had been longing for.

Standing on behalf of the refugees were the leaders of the three major settlements of the surviving dragons. Many of them had chosen to return to Warfang after the death of Malefor, the fact that they wouldn't leave was the cause of all the food and residence problems that had caused this meeting.

Mole-yair and Exhumor had taken time from the repairs of the city to give the moles opinion on the matter. Though they were not a race with magical ability, they didn't want to see their workmanship destroyed by those they were helping.

"You have all been asked here today to settle whether we are to give our knowledge of fire magic to the gryphons." He announced, looking at each person in turn. "Although this is a breach of our frame of mind, it is required for the survival of all our peoples. I don't need to know the details as we are simply taking a vote. So, all in favour?"


	11. Chapter 2: Reconissance

A.2.2. Reconnaissance

The four of them had flown through the night. They knew they were close to reaching dragon territory. Two reasons had prevented them flying through the day. The first, and most important, was that Hunter had woken up.

"I'm going to kill them."

Spyro stared over at the cheetah, very glad that he was between him and his weapons. "Would you please settle down?"

"She knocked me out!"

"You were being difficult."

"Of course you'd side with her."

"You said it yourself. We had to get to Warfang as soon as possible."

"I'm still going to kill them."

* * *

><p>As dawn had approached, they had landed on a mesa in the middle forest, from which, they had a perfect view of a town in the forest below. It was this town that Cynder and Cirion were now creeping towards.<p>

"Why are we doing this again?" whispered Cynder from behind the fox.

"Two reasons;" he replied. "First is the fact that, unlike you, I am unable to sap energy from crystals when I feel tired. I actually need to now and then. Second is that if we take food back with us, and I mean something not found on the forest floor, we just might get back in hunters good books."

There was silence behind him and he grinned to himself. He felt he was really starting to like Cynder. Within one day, he could see that she asked the right kinds of questions. This also led her to find the right answers when she needed them.

"What do we do when we get there?" The question jolted back to reality.

"First, we need to see if it's gryphon or dragon."

"I know that much;" came the reply, dripping in sarcasm. "I meant how will we go about buying supplies? We don't have anything to use for money."

"Who said anything about paying?"

"You know, I thought you might say that."

"Any objections?"

She shook her head and the two of them kept going to the edge of the town. Several feathers were blowing through the streets. "Gryphons, right?"

"Looks like they're all out tending to the fields. That should make our job easier."

"You find something for me to carry it with. I'll get what food I can and we'll meet back here when we're done."

They split up as they move between the houses. Cirion went straight for the warehouse and, when he was sure it was empty, he grabbed a sack and began pilling food into it. He saw a flask and was just reaching for it when something grabbed his foot.

"You took your time." He whispered as the black dragon rose up through the shadows.

"There is no way you heard me coming."

"Never try to sneak up on a mind reader. We'll hear you, no matter what y…"he found himself unable to finish dew to a paw over his mouth. Fortunately, this allowed him to hear the footsteps outside. He motioned for Cynder to hide herself whilst he moved to the far back and threw himself under a pile of blankets just as a key jangled in the lock.

"We don't get many of your kind this far south of Aviadis and you still haven't told me why you're here."

"Since you insist, the dragons have recently opened negotiations. I was chosen by Queen Vithis to go to Warfang and conduct them as ambassador of our people."

"Heh, Well then, I'll wish you good luck with it. Better you than me. Now what do you need?"

That was all he heard before he felt a great chill around him. Suddenly, light blinded him. As his vision returned, he saw he was back in the forest, a bag of food on his left and a smirking dragon on his right. "Hear them coming?"

"Ha, ha. Well done. Now come on."

"What's with the sudden rush?"

"The gryphon ambassador was there. Being seen doesn't matter anymore." With that, Cynder grabbed the sack while Cirion made sure he had a good grip.

* * *

><p>Hunter's anger had grown by the time they made it back but was soon appeased as they handed him the sack of food. As he ate a loaf, Cirion explained why they needed to hurry. Hunter started to protest but fell to the ground unconscious before it got to serious. Spyro turned to the black dragoness. "What did you do this time?"<p>

"I didn't do a thing." She said, a confused look covering her features.

They both turned to the fox who was packing a small vial into his pack. "We've got eight hours till that wears off. Let's make the most of it shall we."

As Cynder helped tie the cheetah onto Spyro, the vulpine walked over to the cliff and took one last look back at the village they had just left. He could just make out the ambassadors retinue, three carriages over by the far border. Despite the fact that he was flying, he still wasn't confident about beating them to Warfang.

"Come on, Cirion. You're the one that said we needed to rush." With a sigh, he turned his back on the view.

Cynder was smiling at him. "You'll have to tell me how to make that stuff some time." He found himself unable to return the smile. "There's another reason for hurrying, isn't there?"

"I happen to teleport us into a situation where we have to travel their road before them." he said, motioning back towards the convoy. "We'd better be ready for anything on the road."

"What would be stupid enough to attack an armed convoy?" said Spyro, an unconscious hunter sprawled unceremoniously across his back.

"How many things were stupid enough to try and kill you?" he countered.

* * *

><p>The sun was just reaching its zenith as Warfang appeared on the horizon. The four of them had made good time in returning to the city, enough so that there was still about it two hours before hunter was due to wake up.<p>

Which is why they were surprised to see the gryphon retinue ahead of them on the road. "How in the name of the ancestors did they get in front of us?" cried Cynder in shock.

"It was all those detours we took that helped speed their progress."

"We never took any detours."

Really? Then what do you call stopping to eliminate all those goblins, grublins, death hounds, dread wings."

"I even think there was a troll in there somewhere;" added Spyro.

"It doesn't matter now;" said the fox shaking his head. "In fact, this should allow us to make an inconspicuous entrance. We'll just sneak over the wall when the guards are focused on the gryphons and meet the guardians back at the council chambers."

"Why can't we just go in the gate?" said the amethyst adolescent.

"I would rather not be mobbed by the crowd, nor do I want the gryphons to realize there's a fox here just yet. Also;" he said, motioning towards the cheetah with a slight smile. "I don't want to have to explain his state."


	12. Chapter 3: the return to Warfang

A.2.3 The Return to Warfang

Through the streets of Warfang, over the pot holed, paved roads strode the gryphons guard as they marched alongside the trio of carriages that held the ambassador and her aides. Because of the distance, they were disappointed that the trip had passed with neither incident nor incursion, or at the least, something to relieve the boredom they had accrued. Despite this, they were glad that they could finally rest for. Although they had ridden in the rear carriage throughout the trip, the roads had been rough and unused in the land between the realms.

Ahead, they could see the guardians, waiting in the courtyard of the council chambers, surrounded by the peoples of the three different races in and around the city. As the carriages pulled to a halt, there was a flailing of arms amongst the watchers to get a position with a good view.

As Terrador watched, a young phoenix stepped out of the lead coach, her black feathers rustling as she did so. A single line of red feathers running the length of her wings and the gloves of red colour on her hands and feet gave the earth guardian impression that a small ball of fire had rolled from the convoy and up the stairs towards him.

"My name is Kiera, ambassador for Vithis." "I assume that you are Terrador;"the avian eloquently stated?

The green dragon was surprised by her blunt attitude but quickly regained his composure. "I am. I would like to welcome you to Warfang and hope your stay is enjoyable." He started into the tower and motioned for her to follow, her guards and the other guardians falling in behind them.

"To be honest, any trip to a place where the inhabitants aren't trying to kill me is a welcome change." She said; her demeanor softening as the door closed behind the group. "I have spent so many years negotiating with the foxes, I feel I have to ward myself against arrows and poison at all times, even in my own home."

She sighed to herself as they trudged up the long stair till they reached the hall at the top. "While I am happy for this respite away from the war, you are the one who called for my help. I know what you need from us. It is time I met with Ignitus to discuss what we need from you."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Volteer. Sparx, hovering behind Cyril, muttered to himself "Here's where it all goes downhill."

There was a long, drawn out silence in the hall.

Finally, Terrador spoke. "Ignitus is dead. He was killed making sure young Spyro could reach Malefor."

Now it was the avian turn to look surprised. "You never told us about this before."

"I wonder why?" snarked Sparx as he flew past.

"Well, what about this young Spyro, who you seemed to hold in such high faith?"

"We sent our best trackers out to find him;" Said Terrador, becoming more aggravated by the minute. "And we know that they did find them. However, their return is still an event we await."

"Then you had better hurry them along." yelled Kiera. "For until he is back here alive, there will be no deal between us."

Before he could reply, there was a crash of the doors slamming open behind them. "You know;" said Cirion to the dragons behind him. "That sounds like the standard gryphon bargaining. They shout until someone gets them what they want." He turned to face Kiera. "It's no wonder they're still at war with the foxes."

A look of relief was clearly visible on the faces of the guardians. Volteer moved forwards to congratulate them but halted as the phoenix leapt at the fox, sword springing from its scabbard as it came around full swing. A sharp crack filled the room as it bit in to the ground he had just occupied. There was a scrabbling as the twelve other gryphons scrabbled for their weapons, which ceased when a rumbling growl flowed from Cyril.

At last, Terrador motioned for him to stop "I know you're at war back in your lands;" he said, drawing the avian attention to him once more. "And as long as you wish to remain in one piece in our lands, you will leave it there. We have no wish to be involved in your battles."

"Then why do you harbor _'vermin'_ like that within your walls?" she snarled in reply.

"We allow him to remain because he just gave us back our best fire dragon. Something, for which, I am most relieved."

"Vithis won't stand for this!"

"Then you are free to go and inform Vithis who, I'm sure, will understand perfectly. At least she thinks before she speaks."

She was just storming out the door when Cynder spoke up. "If I may ask, has this particular fox done anything, in the past, against your peoples, that is worthy of your stance?"

Silence loomed. Slowly, Kiera stepped back into the room. "You know I have no way of knowing that."

"Yet you bring an accusation against him so freely. That tells me he's right. It wouldn't matter if you tried to make peace. The diplomats try to slaughter each other at every chance."

"He is no diplomat!"

"And you have no honour."

Again, silence reigned. Yet, this time, it was paired with a tension stretched so thin; you could have played a symphony with it. "You;" drawled the fire mage, "a creature so obviously of shadow, would dare claim that I am without honour?"

It was here that Volteer finally spoke up. "Her 'shadows' are of no concern to you. She redeemed herself fighting Malefor alongside the one who was least likely to show her mercy. She has shown more honor than I have seen from any but two others."

"If you lot are done shouting;" interrupted Cirion, jumping back into the room; "perhaps you can give us leave to go and rest. It's been a long week."

For the first time that day, Terrador smiled. "Very well, go see Mole-yair. He should be able sort out some beds."

"Now hold on…" started Kiera.

At this, the green giant turned on her all kindness gone from his face. "You hold no authority within these walls;" he growled; "So I suggest you choose your next words very carefully."

She staggered back at the force of his statement. Then, drawing herself up, she turned to face Spyro. "You had better be well worth our time." and with that, she left.

"Now why did sound like a threat to me;" murmured Spyro, casting a questioning look at Terrador?

"I'd be happy to explain that. But first, where has Hunter gotten to?"


	13. Chapter 4: Politics

A.2.4 Politics

Academy Dojo

4 weeks later…

"This is hopeless," moaned Spyro.

"They're not that bad," replied Terrador. "They do have good aim." The pair sat in the stands around the arena watching the first batch of trainees from Aviadis.

"That's all they have! They'd be no good in a melee! Not to mention, they can't direct those fireballs once they through them. Nor can they hold a decent shield.

"This lot wouldn't even be a match for the cheetahs," added Cynder.

"And yet," sighed Cirion, "the war between them and the foxes has been at a stalemate centuries. Now what does that tell you about the other side?" the silence of thought fell over the group. At length, Terrador spoke up.

"It tells me that any advantage might tip the scales of the two opposing armies."

"You'd think that. And yet, every time one gains that elusive advantage, events conspire and suddenly the other side has an effective countermeasure. Of course, the popular theory for this is that both sides have spies everywhere."

"Except for here."

"Because, except for me, no fox is even aware about the existence of dragons. Although, the gryphons are here now. Speaking of whom, they're still showing off their aim. You'd better go give them their first lesson."

Spyro slowly nodded. "We've got six weeks until Vithis revokes the help she's given us. I'll try to see if they can at least manage immunity to fire by that point."

"Good luck," snorted Cirion! "It took me years to master that."

At this, Terrador and Cynder left, leaving a smug fox and a vexed purple dragon. "What did you mean by that?"

"By what?"

"That it took you years to master that? You told me that foxes couldn't use much magic."

"A sly smile crept over the vulpine's face. "I also mentioned that there were exceptions to that rule. One thing I refrained from mentioning is that I'm probably more adept at the fire element that those klutz's."

A short silence followed, marred only by the steady whoosh of projectile flames. "Any chance I can get your help teaching them?"

"I don't know, there's a big obstacle involved in me teaching them."

The young dragon nodded in acknowledgement. "There stupid pride,"

"Personally," he stated, testing each word for humour and adding it when he found none, "I was thinking of the war concerning our races but you are beginning to get the picture. Nonetheless, I'll give it a shot. Just don't expect a miracle."

"To be honest, I've never thought of myself as a teacher till now. Just getting something to stick will be miracle enough."

* * *

><p>Watching the proceeding below, Sparx heard hunter whistling as he came up behind him. "You're in a good mood."<p>

"From what I've heard, there is a high chance that lout is about to get his rear singed. I just didn't want to miss it."

"Pull up a seat then. Betcha it takes six shots to hit him."

"Our race has never been a betting one," murmured the cheetah. "That said, I'll take the over."

* * *

><p>"So why did you need me," asked Cynder of the green giant she followed?<p>

"Because of Malefor's actions, the council of guardians has been much depleted in recent years. The four of us only those that were not killed took those of theirs and similar elements into hiding so the dragon race is not as small as it seems."

"That much is obvious, what with the sheer numbers that have returned."

We won't know who exactly is still alive for a few more months. However, we do know the shadow guardian, shade, was killed very early on. This brings me to why you're here."

"You're not thinking of giving me the spot?! Don't you know what they'd do to me?"

"I know exactly what they'd do. You're right there. But you are still the most knowledgeable shadow dragon we know of, as well as being skilled with wind. There are three candidates for the position. Can I count on you to teach them?"

A shocked silence followed as the immensity his request finally sank in. "You want me to train the new guardian?"

"Do you feel up to it?"

She only hesitated a moment as she saw her first step to redemption. "Where are these, students?"

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later found the fox, the cheetah and the dragon sitting outside the infirmary. After an agonizing silence, Spyro finally spoke up. "Was that absolutely necessary?"<p>

"I did just what you asked; throw up a shield to block your blast."

"And after that?"

"They somehow got it into their heads I was target practice."

"You painted a Bull's-eye! On your Back! You even 'stuck take a shot' in big letters above your head."

"An illusion. I just wanted to demonstrate of how to manipulate a flame."

"But to send their shots back at them, what were you thinking?!"

"As I'm sure you yourself are aware, instinct can be a powerful learning tool. Thanks to my actions, at least two put up successful Shields and one other redirected his own fireball at the target."

"That does not change the fact that five others are now in there with burns!"

"Minor burns. Besides, they can hardly complain. They had every reason not to do what they did. Therefore, blame the one who tried to teach them discipline."

Enough! The three turned to Volteer stepping into the room, closely followed by a nervous looking pair of fire dragons. Spyro, I'm sorry to place more work on your shoulders but I have two more trainees for you."

Spyro started to nod but hesitated. "This couldn't have something to do with the fact we're lacking a fire guardian now, would it?"

"As a matter of fact, yes it would."

Spyro glanced over the two red dragons. One had ducked behind Volteer out of nervousness but the other… he had a curiously cold stare that was just a little to off-putting for his liking. Noticing the purple dragons attentive gaze, he lessened his owns intensity.

"I'd be happy to teach them, as long as their ready for his," he paused, looking over at the fox, "pop quizzes."

"Those gryphons were too bellicose for their own good. At least they now know when to hold their fire and be cautious." he motioned to the young dragons. "But for now, you can look after them. I need something to eat, simultaneously redirecting a dozen fireballs really takes it out of you."

* * *

><p>He found Cynder soon after and they both went down to the markets to find some food, where she then told him of her new job. "It's the first sign of your acceptance. One day, you won't be remembered as the terror of the skies but a founder of the new age of dragons."<p>

"Even now is an improvement. People aren't trying to kill me on sight."

"From what I've heard, your actions in the past year or so have made it clear they'd have to be idiots to come after you. Anyone tries something and Spyro comes down on them like a ton of rubble. His affection for you is well known." He smiled as she blushed…

And stopped.

He felt something was off as he turned to scan the crowd around them. People were shouting everywhere yet, no sound was reaching him. The pair subconsciously shifted into battle positions, back to back, moving to an alley so as to better defend themselves.

They both jumped as a pale blue pulled out of the wall, shadow pouring off her scales. "And yet, here I am waiting." She stared as the two pulled themselves together. "You've known each other for a shorter time than Ignitus knew Malefor before they teamed up, yet you work together like clockwork. Dad was right about you."


	14. Chapter 5: History

A.2.5 History

The cyan dragoness stared at the battle ready pair. "Understandable but unnecessary. I'm not here to harm you."

Cirion recovered quickly. "Strange dragon directs us into an alley and tries to corner us, forgive me if we're not exactly friendly."

"I'm sorry but it was the only way I could talk to you without being found out. History is a fickle thing and many dragons have forgotten what those with the shadow element have done for our kind." Oh yes," she said, noticing Cynder raise her brow in surprise. "Your deeds weren't the first of a good shadow dragon although, most have forgotten about Dusk and her final moments.

* * *

><p>Town of Tarragon<p>

1023 years earlier…

"Close the gates!"

There was an ordered chaos in the town as the sentries rushed to fortify the walls. Cheetahs and apes scrambling to get there bows and ordinance ready before the enemy arrived. In the streets, women rushed to get their children into the keep before reporting to the armoury. As the warriors filled their posts, Chief Malkin scanned the horizon.

"Are you sure they're here?"

Next to him stood a dragoness, black as the well of souls and eyes of a piercing emerald. "They've got the moles digging as close as they can before the earth dragons get here. I'll need to get them out before you start blasting them."

"You'd better hurry then. Once they reach the walls, those tunnels will be collapsed." He sensed an absence of dragon next to him and smiled grimly. He figured she had about seven minutes before they tunnels would need to be demolished. He just hoped she would be out in time.

* * *

><p>She phased into the blackness right above a selkie guard. It never made a noise her as she brought it down. Slinking along the shadows, she soon reached the moles to find them unguarded. Knowing how much time she had, she got their attention and they followed her directions back to the entrance. As the last one ran, she turned to go after them…<p>

And saw white.

* * *

><p>Discord and anarchy overflowed from the walls. "I Told you to wait for my order;" cried Malkin in rage! Outside the wall, four massive earth dragons cringed in fear at the infuriated cheetah.<p>

"We couldn't take the chance this plan would fail. We had no choice…"

"You had every choice! We still had two minutes before they were in the danger zone! He directed at the youngest of the group who tried to curl up, "He even told you that they had stopped digging! He, not you was the one trained to sense these things!"

"It doesn't matter now anyway," spoke the leader, glowing faintly. "The mole have made an opening elsewhere. They're safe."

A tense silence followed. Then, in a low growl; "They are not the main worry I have. I just hope you're the one to give the report back at Warfang because you knew she was down there and, when he finds out that it's your fault she's dead, there won't be a hole deep enough to hide you from him."

The other three dragons edged away from their doomed comrade. He could feel green scales turning pale from fear.

"He will find out and when he does," he turned and marched back into the town, "I hope the Ancestor has mercy on your soul, because he would have it sent to hell.

* * *

><p>Warfang<p>

Present day…

"Thanks to Dusk's actions that day, she saved what were the last of the mole race. Whether they acknowledge it or not, a shadow dragon is the reason for their existence." She looked into Cynders eyes and noticed a new spark that hadn't been there earlier. "You cannot have shadow without light for shadow is only the absence of light. Darkness is what people fear and you have overcome that."

"Why tell us this?" She turned to the fox who was staring intently at her. "For that matter, you haven't told us who you are. Sure, you tell a good story and you may have convinced her it's true…"

"Being what would become a black spot on the history of dragon kind, the guardian council paved over the incident. However, the complete and utterly unique records of the event were recorded by a trainee fire guardian and hidden in the temple library." This brought Cynder back to her senses as she realized what this meant.

"That is now in the centre of the dread lands, surrounded by grublins, orcs and dread-wings, assuming it wasn't destroyed when the temple crashed."

"I think you'll find that the truth tends to survive and is very good at being found." She turned to leave but hesitated. "Make sure to take Spyro with you. There are things in that record that he will need to know before this is over."

Cynder moved to leave but a paw on her shoulder stopped her. "You still haven't told us your name."

"Cobalt." Came the reply but its source was unclear.

* * *

><p>She phased into a black room with a single candle silhouetting a lone figure. "I assume that went to script?"<p>

"Almost, they are on track for the temple and from what you've told me, they will find those records long before the others come."

"Then the only worry is what they'll do with that information. With any luck, it will lead them back to the phoenix."

"Who should then complete the scenario for them." he nodded in satisfactory and figure fell silent. The dragoness however; "they're not going to trust me even left when they find I faked my name."

"At least you made it obvious. Only those without an element have their colour for their name. That's easy enough to figure out."

"Only if you know that. Please remember that one was raised by dragonflies and the other was hardly raised at all. I think it's likely to be sometime before they notice."

Unless, of course, you're a fox who seeks to learn every little thing about the race you're living with."


	15. Chapter 6: Harrowing Trials

A.2.6 Harrowing Trials

Warfang

1023 years earlier

A very nervous pair of earth dragons sat outside the council chamber, waiting for their inevitable calling. As a young fire dragon stepped out of the hall and motioned for them to follow, the elder one turned to the other. "You had best remember not to talk out of turn. This is a delicate situation and I will handle it."

The earth fledgling nodded and the pair moved to follow into the council hall. They looked around to see the eight remaining guardians beaming down at them.

Given the circumstances, was not a pleasant look.

"Captain Tremor;" Boomed the large black and red dragon sitting at the head of the group, "we must offer our congratulations. The Selkies have been repelled, Tarragon is safe and our soldiers can finally come home."

"I am honoured by your praise."

"Indeed;" stated a pale blue figure behind him. "Your team will be rewarded for its actions." He motioned a guard forward who gave a small bag to the young earth dragon. "Those are for you and the others. They will grant you a free service from any craftsman within the city." He took the bag and left the room.

"One more thing."

He turned in the entrance, confusion clearly written on his face. "May I have you name, young one?"

His eyes widened as he noticed the massive brown dragon addressing him. "T-t-Terrador, master Igneous."

"Well then, I hope to here good things of you from now."

He chuckled to himself as young Terrador quickly nodded and sped from the room, guards closing and bolting the door behind him. This done, his smile departed with the same speed.

"We have also yet to hear from dusk, despite the fact she was due in four days ago. Do you have any ideas about why this could be?"

Tremor was very thankful of the fact that, as a dragon, he couldn't sweat. His next statement came as a whisper. "We had a time frame for collapsing the tunnels, she didn't make it in time."

A mournful silence fell upon chambers. "I see." A lithe, white dragoness stated before giving a small nod.

At once the guards around the room seized him. Though he thrashed about, summoning his element trying to get free, one slammed a clamp onto his wrist and his energy suddenly disappeared.

"The commander of the scout wing made sure to talk to Malkin and gather a final report. We know of your actions that brought about the death of Dusk. You acted out of line and the cost was far greater than it should have been."

An orange dragon at the end of the row spoke next. "Had you accepted the responsibility and consequences of your actions, your punishment would have been greatly lessened. As things stand, we have no choice but to exile you."

His attention was drawn back to the black dragon as he stood. "Captain Tremor, you are hereby stripped of your rank and titles. All your possessions are to be seized and held by the city and you will be banished from these realms. Should you return, you will be killed on sight."

The earth dragon had stopped struggling the moment the orange dragon had sounded. All sense of hope had left him.

With a nod from the brown figure, Tremor was dragged from the chambers. The silence of the proceedings, only broken by the doors as they jolted close. The guardians stared at the door before turning and, one by one, exiting the chamber, leaving only the black guardian and the young red dragon.

"You will erase the records from the time Terrador left." The youth turned to stare at him, curiosity etched all over his features. "If word gets out of what he did, it will cause much discontment amongst the shadow dragon population. Take his reasons for her death and make them official, then send word to her students. A new guardian will need to be chosen."

"Master coal, I thought her last student was thrown out of her presence for conduct unbefitting a guardian."

"Send word to the shadow elders then. I will leave it to them to find a new candidate."

With that, Coal left the chambers. The red dragon stared after him before focusing on the papers in front of him. Minutes past until, with a sigh, he placed the scrolls in his bag and left, muttering to himself.

"Some things should not be forgotten."

* * *

><p>Dragon temple<p>

The burned lands

Present day

"Well…" Cirion looked up from the scroll on the table in front of him, "that was both illuminating and enigmatic. Is it even possible to do that?"

Spyro frowned as both Cynder and Sparx snorted. "Does it say who wrote it?"

The fox's eyes strayed back to the page lingering on a familiar name at the bottom. "Ignitus. It appears that the chronicler started his role early on."

"Nice to know he's still got you in school;" Snickered Sparx from the relative safety of Cynders back.

Cirion chuckled before getting a thoughtful look. "While it's nice to get the history lesson, I still don't see why that;" he pondered for a moment, "Mysterious stranger wanted us to see this."

"I do." they turned to see Spyro intently studying another scroll. "It wasn't because of dusk and her fate, it was about who would be angry about it." He passed the scroll to Cirion who sped through it before lingering on the name at the end.

Malefor

"I suppose he wasn't always bad;" Muttered Cynder, "what's this one about?"

"Tremor did return and was hunted and killed by the water guardian, Hydro. A few days before though, he met with Malefor. They were discussing someone called Dante and the threat he posed to the dragons."

A thoughtful silence fell upon the group. "You know, it's moments like these where we normally have someone to fill in the blanks for us suddenly appear;" observed Sparx.

The fox turned to leave and sighed. "Well, one out of two ain't bad." The others threw their attention to him before following his gaze.

The heavy stone doors shut tight.

"Why does this only happen to us;" The dragonfly groaned?

"And why do I feel like we're being herded;" came the response from his brother as he revolved to see a smaller doorway as their only exit.


	16. Chapter 7: The Tangled Trap

Act 2 Chapter 7. The Tangled Trap

The group gathered what books they could carry and packed them away to take with them before heading for the only open exit, Sparx at the lead. After quite a few minutes of walking down the passage, all other doors tightly shut; the group grew more and more tense.

As they reached the end of the hall, the golden torchlight spoke up "Is it just me, or was that hall longer than last time?"

"It's just you;" replied Cynder, rolling her eyes. "I know we never got to go every in the temple when we lived here."

"I know that!" he snapped back at her. "It's just that we did explore around the outside of its original area and there was no point as long as that."

The silence, that seemed so popular, once again hovered amongst them. The thought occurred to the group simultaneously but no-one wanted to voice it. "If we're not in the temple where are we?"

With that, they carefully moved on, into the chamber beyond the passage. Inside, an abundance of plant life, none of them thought possible this far underground met their sight. As they gazed at the view around them, Sparx and Cynder noticed both something unnerving. Cynder noticed that then fox wasn't with them anymore. She was about to voice this when Sparx took cover amongst her horns, whispering his fear to her as he did, "Please tell me one of you said that." And with that, she finally heard the little that had been niggling at the back of her mind since they entered the hall.

With barely a whisper, her shadows lashed out and enveloped the figure watching them from the darkness, a flawless manoeuvre that, in fact, only grabbed a small bush. With his partner's efforts having failed, leaving her growling at the darkness, Spyro cast a bright ball of light high enough to light the whole cavern.

Seeing the massive wall of vines surrounding them on all sides did nothing to help their moods.

aa

Back in the hall Cirion watched the writhing spectacle in front of him. He had considered warning the dragons of the illusions around them, but figured he'd have a better chance of finding the maker with them as a distraction.

With that in mind, he turned his attention to the rest of the miserable little hole they had come out into. The vines that had his friends entrenched practically covered the floor of the cave, reminding him of the spiders web when he first met the draconic duo. Giving a shiver as he thought of the oversized arachnids, a smile came to his face as he remembered their weak spot and, with barely a thought, he encased his paws in flames and reached for the nearest vine.

"Do that and they will die."

There was a slight movement in his peripherals telling him that their quarry had managed to get behind them. Despite this, his smile never faltered. "All of us are fireproof." Strike one. "Explain to me how they will die."

"All these roots help keep the roof stable. Burn them and you cave it in. They don't have the speed to dodge all that rubble."

"One of them has the earth element to hold it up. The other has shadow to phase through it. They have electricity and wind respectively granting each of them quite an impressive speed boost." Strike two. "Your trap was impressive but it had one major flaw." Despite the fact he could barely see the figure; he didn't miss the frown that graced its features. "Let them go and we don't need to find out how fast you are."

Silence reigned between the two, marred only by the soft scraping of vines on stone. Then, with a crashing finality, the walls withdrew into the ground leaving no sign of their recent presence.

With that threat gone, his paws losing their blaze yet holding a spark that showed just how trusting he really was. Motioning to Spyro to light the room, Cirion turned to face their assailant.

It was not what he expected. It was a dragon, definitely female judging by the voice. She sported light green scales and wings as blue as the sky. The frown that she held moments before was gone leaving a neutral stare directed at him. Her figure was slim and yet, he fully expected that she could break him like a twig with barely a thought; and that was without her element.

Speaking of which…

"I don't think I've seen that element back in Warfang. I find that strange, considering the amount of dragons there."

"It's not that strange;" her voice flowed past their ears like the Avalar River. "Nature dragons have always been a rare occurrence. We come from the union of earth and water. Can you imagine the marital arguments." A momentary smile lit the room before washing away. "But what of you? I have lived on this world for more than a millennium, yet in all that time, never have I even heard of a being with your particular heritage. I can see the fox you are, yet I sense the firebird within you."

"That, my dear, is not a story for now." The statement was accompanied by a surreptitious motion to the others in the room. (That he prayed they hadn't noticed.) "What concerns us right now is your reason for leading us here, although, a name would also be nice."

"I directed you down here because you intruded too far into my domain and I do not abide trespassers. I must admit I did not expect a purple dragon of legend but that does not change the fact that you are now stuck down here."

He matched her gaze eye for eye, trying to determine what she meant until it all went click in his mind. "Spyro, can you sense the tunnel we came down?"

A nervous stillness passed over the room accompanied by a soft green glow. "The tunnel is gone; she must have caved it in while we were occupied."

"You are cut off from all the information I keep down here and will die long before you reach the surface." The smile returned to her face though it no longer held any amusement.

"That would be true if they hadn't emptied the library before coming here;" he replied motioning at the dragons.

Cynder smirked as the frown returned. "It also helps that the fox can teleport us straight to the surface."

As she noticed the books in the dragon's bags, the frown turned to shock and confusion. "I would know if anything had been removed from my library. Where did you get that?

"From the library in the dragon temple; said Cirion. It was at the end of that tunnel before you collapsed it."

"The dragon temple is far to the west of here"

"Until Malefor raised it and flew it north of Warfang;" replied Sparx. "This place must be deep if you missed that."

Her frown turned to fear. "Malefor secured the temple? Don't tell me he raised the destroyer too!"

Everyone else could only smile at her sudden panic. "You can relax." It fell to the fox to put her out of her misery. "Malefor was been dealt with and the dragons are organizing peace with the gryphons.

It therefore surprised them all when this did not quell her panic.

"This can't happen. Malefor started that whole war specifically to avoid that eventuality."


	17. Chapter 8: Conspiracy

Act 2 Chapter 8: Conspiracy

Shocked silence filled the room as her words rang out amongst them, causing everyone's train of thought to come to a complete halt. Spyro and Cynder looked to each other, confirming they had both heard correctly, whilst Cirion fought off the headache that threatened to take hold. Surprisingly, it was Sparx who provided the voice of reason. "I think it might be best for all of us if you explain why peace is such a bad thing"

She opened her mouth but Cirion held up a hand to forestall her. "Before that, I'd like to know exactly who I'm talking to"

"My name is Gaia," she replied, "Guardian of the Nature Element."

"You're a long way from where the temple was. How come we've never heard of you?"

"Ouch," commented sparx before Cynders tail swatted him into the wall. No more attention was given.

"I do not know why my name has been lost. It has been centuries since I was last in dragon society but the records should still be there. Of course, my death may have been fabricated." She frowned, focusing her attention on spyro. "Which brings us to why I am opposed to this peace. The problem now, is that I do not know whether I can trust you with this information. I would have to ask Ignitus for clearance.

This time, it was spyro who appeared panicked, so Gaia turned back to Cirion. "I'm guessing that you are not going to get any help from the guardians, are you?"

"Ignitus is dead."

Gaia's attention turned to the previously ignored cynder. " He died getting us through the burnt lands so we could stop Malefor. I'm afraid that 'getting authorisation' is not going to be possible.

The previous look of fear returned to the nature dragon's face. "This is even worse news. If what you say is true and the three are truly dead, then I no longer have the backing I need to continue his war."

"Three?"

She froze, evidently lost in thought. "Yes, I did only mention two, didn't I? I suppose, if they are dead, I can at least tell you the basics, on the condition that what I say does not leave this room."

Both Cynder and Cirion snorted at that. "If that information is no threat to the peace of the Dragons and Gryphon's." replied the fox. He held the guardians gaze before she sighed, giving a nod of consent.

"Roughly a millenium ago, Malefor met with Ignitus regarding a suspected conspiracy within the high ranks of the dragon bureaucracy. They determined that there were members of this group within all races but the main focus of their activity seemed to be amongst our race." The vulpine's ears perked.

"Did they seem to be in support of a dragon named Dante?"

"How the hell would you know that?" the four stared in shock at the sudden outburst before Spyro pulled a book from his bag.

"Ignitus kept very good records." he calmly replied, passing the diary to her. She tore through the record until she found the offending passage.

"He always did like keeping notes. especially when told not to," she smiled, "I just wish my father did the same."

"Your father?"

"The third founding member of my group before I joined. He was a longstanding guard before being promoted to Guardian for his actions and the knowledge he gained in the Dragon-Selky War."

"You don't mean Terrador, do you?"

At this her look went from fear to indignance. "I assume you read the major details in these records but why wouldn't I mean him? He is… "

"He's alive."

She froze mid statement, turning back to the amethyst dragon. "He's the one who organised the peace with the gryphon's in exchange for training a range of candidates to be the new fire guardian. He and the two remaining guardians were instrumental in stopping malefor and training me."

All could see the spark of hope that appeared in her eye "I sensed his lifeforce disappear from my senses. I would need see him to be sure that it was truly him but, if what you say is true, there may yet be hope for our cause." She turned towards the far wall as a rumbling heralded the stone parting, revealing a corridor beyond. "This is likely the last time I shall see these halls. It seems only right to bring my intel on Dante to add to your own. The fox…"

"Cirion."

Her attention was momentarily directed at him before her smile once more graced her features and continued to do so. "Cirion, can you assist me in gathering my notes?" The fox returned her grin.

"I would be honoured, my fair lady."

* * *

><p>"That poor bastard."<p>

The black fox winced as thillions voice rang out. though it had only been a whisper, it sounded as if he had shouted in his ear. "Care to elaborate on that?"

"I could always tell when that idiot was trying for a partner way out of his league. It seems that things didn't change much since I last saw him."

"If you're done discussing girls;" both reluctantly turned their attention to Ren, "I have yet to see or hear anything of you in these memories. Where the hell did you get them?!

"If I knew that, I would have left weeks ago. The less time spent looking at your ugly mug, the better."

Seeing the brewing storm, Thillion intervened. "We know that Cirion helped organise the peace with the Gryphons and even trained the Phoenixes. You've got the traitor you always wanted so you may as well make your report to the king." Ren smirked and left the room. "Such a shame he is already an exile." The sound of a table being kicked, followed by some very dark muttering, brought a smile to the rooms remaining residents.

"Were there any other questions or may I go rest now?"

"Just one," sounded Griggs from the edge of the bed as he undid the straps. "I got a sense of recognition when the name Dante appeared. You've heard that name before."

The trio looked around. Then, once they were sure of their solace, leaned in together. "It's also not the first time I've heard of Gaia. there have been other figures in these memories that I recognised. The only hitch is some of the individuals are much younger than those that I know. I've come to the conclusion that these are definitely not my memories."

"So who do they belong to?"

"And how did I come to have them?"

"We can solve that another time. I've received word that you are being allowed into the city. You are still restricted to the walls and will have a constant escort. In addition, you will be given limited access to the city library in order to learn the history of your people."

"Whatever gave you the impression that the Foxes are my people?"

**End Act II**


	18. Authors Note

I am currently editing my old chapters while looking for a beta reader. If anyone is interested in the position, they are free to PM me.


	19. Act III, Chapter 1: A Sense Of Normality

Act 3 Act 3. Chapter I. A Sense Of Normality

Cirion and Thillion sat in front of the massive building, staring up at its massive architecture. The latter was grinning, waiting to hear the awed reaction of the former.

"I've seen bigger."

The grin slipped. "You're kidding, right?"

"The dragons have their earth magic that allows them to build giant structures with seemingly no supports." he frowned. You've seen the dragon's library when you were fishing through my memories."

"I assumed so, I had just thought you may have been embellishing it a bit."

"I try not to make a habit of lying to those that are keeping me fed."

The building in question was indeed tall, reaching the height of the cities outer wall. "Oi!" the pair's attention was drawn to a figure standing in the entrance. "Are you going to sit there catching flies all day or will you actually be joining us soon?"

The speaker in question was a fortress guard assigned to watch the young fox for the duration of his time outside of his cell. The reason being, or so he figured, was that a known ally of the gryphons should not be left unsupervised.

Inside, the sight that greeted them was shelf after shelf lining every wall. On the floor above, platforms and catwalks could be seen criss-crossing above them. At the end of the main corridor, an opening in the floor showed that there were several other floors below, many of them underground.

It was finally agreed this was, at the very least, impressive.

"I will say that what this place lacks in height, it makes up for it in content."

Cirion just grinned in response. "All books written in the empire over the last seven hundred years have a copy within these walls. There are also copies gryphon and phoenix writings but these are scattered over the years."

"Would there be any dragon texts hidden on the shelves?"

"There are several but our translators have never been entirely successful in putting them into fennish. You wouldn't be able to read them." Silence passed between them as they continued to look around only broken by hushed whispers, the quiet scribble of quill on paper and, finally, the distinct slap of palm meeting face. "You know how to read dragon runes, don't you?"

"I was wondering when you'd pick up on that. So where are these draconic works? I'll talk to the librarian about them. In the meantime, you never answered the question regarding Dante's name"

"You're right," he whispered in response, "I never did. And as long as we are speaking in a public place, I shall hold my silence.

* * *

><p>"Where did you here that name?"<p>

The four had made it back to Warfang and had immediately sought out the trio of guardians. Terrador had been pleased about the recovery of the temples books, even if not all had been retrieved. He was startled, however, upon the mention of the Dante.

'It was mentioned in notes written by Ignitus. We tried asking another guardian but they wouldn't give us anything."

"Of course they didn't, those two haven't been around long enough to even know of Dante."

"He wasn't talking about them." The four present turned to face the door where Cirion had spoken from, though it was not him that caught their attention.

When they had first met Gaia, her scales were faded from lack of care, her wings were covered in scratches and her talons and tail blade were covered in chips.

The dragon standing before them was not the dragoness they had encountered in those ruins. Her scales gleamed a bright emerald, her claws and blade were freshly sharpened and while the scratches on her wings hadn't all healed, they had certainly been treated. The only similarity that remained were her eyes, which kept their sharp attentiveness. Her smile was hiding once again.

"I thought it a good idea to ensure you were alive, as they claimed, before telling them about Dante."

"And who are you;" accused Cyril, "that you should claim the title of a guardian?"

"Her name is Gaia;" came Terrador's rolling baritone. "She has been the guardian of nature for the past … years, keeping watch over all information we have on the dragon known as Dante…"

"…and is also your daughter." This was added simultaneously by both Spyro and Cirion.

"She mentioned that, did she?"

"About the same time she told us of your trio."

"I'm amazed she trusted you with that much, having just met you."

"I hate to interrupt this discussion," stated Volteer, "but would you mind informing is of the exact nature of this topic?"

"He wants to know what we're talking about." stated Spyro, heading off Sparx's inevitable question.

Gaia moved to speak but was silenced as her father raised a claw. "Before you object, I have served as a guardian alongside this pair since they first took up the role. I can tell you right now that it was always the intention of both Ignitus and myself to give them this information. The only thing that stopped us was that Malefor went too far in the methods he used to stop Dante.

"I have to agree." Muttered Sparx. "Destroying the world is definitely too far."

"Very well then, I brought the major scrolls back with us so let's start there."

"Actually, I think we should start where Ignitus, Malefor and I did"

* * *

><p>Warfang<p>

1020 years earlier

A lone figure stood on an outlook, watching over Warfang. His gaze settled on the council chambers and, for a moment, he pondered whether he should go walk through the doors one last time, just to see the guardian's reactions. This line of thinking was quickly stifled.

"You know," a voice rang out behind him, "I seem to remember master coal had decreed that you were to be killed if you ever returned." Tremor let out a sigh.

"Let me speak and then you may do what you wish." When no shape objects appeared in his back, he expelled the rest of the sigh he hadn't realised he had kept. "Do you know the legend of the purple dragon"?

"I'm probably the master of the subject," snorted Malefor.

"I mean the original purple dragon. The one that is considered the 'son' of the ancestor and is thought to have created the destroyer of legend."

After a moments silence, "You speak as if he's alive and you know where he resides."

"Believe me. If I had that kind of information, I would have been dead long before I reached you." At last, tremor turned to face his amethyst associate. It was obvious he had been attacked at some point over the past three years by the fresh scars arrayed on his face and chest. "I was lucky enough to escape to bring you what I do have."

"Which is?"

"Evidence of a conspiracy within all races so as to allow the original purple to constantly gain power"

It took a long moment for the shock to where off. Once it had, "Why trust me If you're so sure of this conspiracy?"

"I know you're not a member because I am one. I had orders from the highest member of our group to bring about dusk's death in order to cause you to lose your footing within the council. He forgot to consider two things however. One of which was your unusual stubbornness."

"And the other thing?"

"The fact that I might grow a conscience. I know it doesn't pardon what I did but maybe what I have given you will help to make right my past mistakes."

They both stood looking out over the city a few minutes more. Then, at last, Malefor turned to leave but paused mid step. "Do you know who the other members of this group are?"

"The only one I knew of outside of the leader was the selkie ruler five years ago. It was his death that caused our group to spark the last war we had. It was the perfect excuse to go after you."

"You mentioned you know of the leader as well?"

"As I said, he is the first purple dragon and, as I give you the name Dante, my life as his servant is finally done."

* * *

><p>Present day<p>

"Shortly after that day, Malefor gave this information to the pair of us so that we could help him undo this conspiracy that had been revealed to him. Within a year, we had gathered enough evidence to show that both master coal and master igneous were also part of the conspiracy. We weren't sure why they sentenced tremor as they did. The only theory we have is that he wasn't supposed to get caught."

"I guess," interrupted Spyro, "that this had something to do with why you were the current guardians in their place."

"Not entirely. We believe that the death of Igneous and Coal was a ploy by the enemy when we got too close. I only say this because, at the time, things were set up to make it look like Ignitus had committed the crime, despite being nowhere near Warfang at the time. The only way we could think of to ensure we didn't lose our footing…"

"Was to have Malefor take the blame," finished Gaia, speaking up at last. "And with the recent destruction of the Ape city of Tarragon, he could gather an army and turn himself into an unknown on the enemy's chess board."

"Of course, it wasn't a perfect plan, but seeing we were at war with both the gryphon's and foxes, we needed something to help flush out other members. Eventually though, Malefor did lose himself to Dante's will, though even then, he retained a part of himself. He made a plan to raise the destroyer and use it to draw Dante out of hiding."

"Sure," snorted Sparx. Threaten to take his favourite toy and hope he came to protect it."

"I never said it was the best plan," replied Terrador with a grimace. "But seeing as he was much more powerful than us, we had no choice but to hope it worked. But that is enough for now. With the war over, it is likely that his draconic agents will soon return to their work. We must make preparations to find them and end them. For now, return to your students. There is much to do but we must be careful in our planning." As each left to go on with their work, Terrador called out; "Cirion, go find hunter and bring him back here. There is one task for which, I think you will both be suited.


	20. Chapter 2: The Plot Thickens

Act 3 Chapter 2. The Plot Thickens

There was silence in the forest as Cirion and Hunter travelled to the cheetah village. After making half the trip with his nerves on edge, it wasn't until Cirion had threatened to teleport them that Hunter finally mentioned that the quiet state of the forest was due to the fact that all the animals were in their nests and burrow 'keeping busy' that he finally rested his guard. It was only after he had stopped snickering that Hunter decided to voice his mind.

"I still can't see why they needed to send you with me. The Guardians know I'm perfectly capable of delivering messages on my own. Are you sure they're not just getting rid of you."

Your message is not the only one we're taking to your chief. Besides, they gave me another task to complete while we're in the area but they ordered me to hold off on telling you till we reach our final destination."

"And where would that be?"

"I'll tell you once our first task is complete. Terrador wanted no chance of the wrong parties getting this information."

"You speak as if we were still at war." They continued a few minutes in silence. "I suppose there are still some of Malefor's servants to be dealt with."

Cirion was prevented from replying by their arrival at the cheetah village. Since the end of the war, its size had almost doubled from both the repairs and the new structures for the young cheetahs about to come of age. The palisade had been fixed expanded with rest of the village and its heights once again held the structures in its grip.

These sights were dampened, however, by the sight of Chief Prowlus looming towards them.

The look on his face, was not welcoming.

"The only reason I let you leave the village last time was because the purple dragon needed your help. That will not be happening again."

It was all Hunter could do to keep his face neutral "So you would rather try to kill an envoy of Warfang?" he replied, halting the chiefs advance. "I have not come seeking help this time. I only come bearing a message."

Prowlus's grimace began to disappear. "And what of you?" he continued, directing it at Cirion. "I recognise neither your face, nor your race. What is your business here?"

"Like Hunter, I come bearing a message from the Guardians."

"Was Hunter so incapable of carrying two messages all on his lonesome that he needed an assistant?"

"My message comes straight from Terrador and is for your ears only." The last statement was only muttered yet Prowlus clearly heard the unspoken addition placed directly in his thoughts.

_It regards the old ape/cheetah alliance_

The grimace faded entirely, though what was left in its place was no less serious. He turned and walked back into the hut, leaving the pair to follow the unspoken command and follow him.

Once inside and certain of their privacy, only then did Prowlus speak up again. "I assume this is less to do with the old alliance and more to do with the cause of its collapse.

"You would assume correctly. Terrador has recruited us in the efforts to find a certain group within the draconic ranks."

"Yes, the servants of Dante" he smirked at the shocked look on Hunters face. "The dragons aren't alone in this fight. It has been a secret handed down from chieftain to chieftain since well before the split in the alliance."

"Is there any chance of there being any of his servants in the village?"

"I learnt long ago not to get my hopes up when it came to that subject. Having said that, there is a reason why Cheetahs have spurned contact with outsiders ever since the split in the old alliances. If however, the dragons have finally decided to do something about this blight on all life, I think that we could work together."

At last, Hunter spoke up. "As annoyed as I am that you and the Guardian's left me in the dark, this brings me to my message." A fifth Guardian was recently found in a ruin far below the dread lands. She is Gaia of the nature element and keeper of all the dragon's knowledge on the servants of Dante."

"This is good news. I will want to meet with this new Guardian and see what she knows that I may not. Was that all you wished to speak of?"

"To you, it is," replied Cirion. "We were also informed that there are still two other Guardians unaccounted for. Sparx suggested we seek advice from the one known as the Hermit because, though he may be 'of his rocker', he might have an idea of what happened to them."

"That little pest may be one of the most annoying creatures I have ever met, but he at least has a solid head on his shoulders. It will serve him well in the days to come."

Having delivered their messages, the pair got up to leave. A word from Prowlus, however, stopped them in the doorway.

"For as far back as I know, the only cheetahs to know of this conspiracy have been the chieftain and his replacement. I truly hope that you will not give me cause to regret keeping this tradition." He gave the pair a moment for the words to sink in before ploughing on. "Hunter, I hereby lift your exile from the tribe and, furthermore, name you as my successor in the event of my death."

AA

"That was unexpected," stated Hunter, once the town was out of sight. It was obvious that word had not yet spread as they left the village and the pair had silently agreed to keep this new development quiet for as long as they could.

"It fits with all I've heard about him. But yes, it was." There was nothing else to say on the subject. With Hunter leading, the pair made haste towards the Hermit's grotto. As they approached the clearing, a cackle echoed through the valleys, halting them in their tracks and leaving them searching for the source.

"So soon do they return, seeking that which they have not yet earned? It should be expected of them, so soon in the Destroyer's wake that answers would be denied, a second attempt made." The pair jumped back as rotten fruit fell where they had been. "But yet again, they will be disappointed. I will give them nothing. Not for their gold. Not for their swords. Not for their words. Not…"

"We're here to discuss Dante you senile, decrepit delinquent."

As Cirion's voice faded into the scenery, the ramblings of the sage ceased to be heard, leaving only a horrified look on Hunters face. Then…

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"The performance was too good to interrupt."

"It's nice that someone finally picked it for what it was." His voice lost all of its cackling quality, leaving him sounding more like Prowlus. "Do you know how painful it is to keep that wheeze up throughout a conversation? The only reason I really did it was to annoy others to the extent that they wouldn't bother travelling out here"

"Having myself, used that trick in the past, I can sympathise with you."

"Hold on!" Hunter's cry rang out in the clearing. "You mean to tell me that all these years, you've been acting like a senile old fool just to annoy the fur off of Prowlus?"

…"yes, that sums it up pretty well. It was intended for all the chieftains over the years but he has been the worst."

"Huh." His expression showed that there was nothing more to this conversation, aside from the inside joke that would extend from the knowledge

AA

"I am well aware of the conspiracy you seek to end. Unlike the position of Chronicler, the title of Hermit was created specifically to monitor Dante's activities within cheetah territories. There was a group of us who were only to gather information on this situation but to put this information to use only when we had proven that it was a bad thing."

"If you are talking to us about it," murmured Hunter, "they must have done something to warrant that opinion."

"During the war against Malefor, Dante used his agents to eliminate the other Hermits, though a couple of us survived and have since spread too far off lands." He stood at his caldron, throwing an unknown variety of herbs into the bubbling mixture, causing it to take a variety of shades before settling on a light blue hue. "You said that you were sent to find out more about him. How much do you know already?"

"From the death of dusk to the death of Tremor."

"Such a small field of knowledge, yet possibly the most useful. For in that small period, you will find your most useful allies. With a motion of his hand, the cyan surface faded, leaving an image of a lithe, white dragoness. "This is Gale, Guardian of the wind and air element. She is also one of the few Guardian's from Ignitus's youth that still lives. I can't tell you more than that," he stalled the inevitable question, "I hold no knowledge of her current location. I do know that she is certainly against Dante and, at the start of the war, worked with Hydro to ensure that the few Hermits in Avalar remained hidden. Of those, only one was caught while the rest either remained hidden or escaped to lands beyond."

At last his speech came to an end, yet it was only long enough to stir the caldron. "Go back to The City of Teeth and advise the Guardians to seek out Gale. Of all the Guardians, it is a good chance that all of these conspirators were eliminated, meaning new agents will need to be planted."

"Meaning that it's likely someone will make an attempt on the current Guardians."

"They need not even wait that long. Is it not so that Ignitus's death left an opening in the Guardians? Does not Cynder seek to train a new Shadow Guardian? These holes in your defences have not gone unnoticed and, while there may be nothing to worry about, it would be foolish to believe that was the case."

While I understand our plan of action, 'The city of Teeth'?"

"Allow me to have some fun with my job."


	21. Chapter 3: Past Sins

Act 3 Chapter 3: Past Sins

Warfang

1015 Years earlier

As he took in the sight of the crystal lit chamber, Malefor once again questioned how things had come to this that they were here, meeting like thieves in the night while their enemies were able to discuss plans to destroy them in broad daylight. After receiving no response from the questioning glance he threw at the earth and wind dragons across from him, their attention was drawn by the fourth young drake entering the cave. Upon noticing his three companions, he smiled and motioned them closer. "Now then, you're all probably wondering why I dragged you all down here, far under the city, this late at night."

"The thought had crossed our mind." Replied the earth dragon. "Couldn't this have waited until morning?"

"It might have been able to, were it not for the fact that I found proof that tremor was right in his claims." The silence following his statement intensified as three pairs of ears gave him their undivided attention. "Following Malefor's brief meeting with him, I began looking through the records at other events where the death of a guardian or council member was the result of a horrific accident. With your help we found that most of these seemed to be accurate reports while the few that remained seemed to just be filing errors."

A disgruntled rumble arose from the green titan that was Terrador. "I know how love your theatrics and suspense Ignitus but would you get to the point?"

"Patience, terror, this requires the full story, else you would lack the full understanding." There were a few rumblings about understanding from the green titan before he motioned for him to continue. "Those 'accidents' have all occurred in some war or great battle and apart from the last two, the report has always followed the same lines. Of the remaining couple, one was that which I doctored while the real one remains concealed within the temple. The second, I found completely by accident on the report for the death of the guardian of light twelve years prior. As it happens, there was a message written in shadow runes on the parchment. As I found these almost a year ago, it obviously took me a while to decode them."

A snort came from the purple dragon. "Would have been quicker if dusk were still around to help."

"Considerably, especially since she is the one who wrote them." With an impatient motion from (Terrador), he continued. "The original report goes on in length how Flash met his fate at the claws of the Grublins in Dante's Freezer. The hidden message however, states that Dante personally ordered him killed due to the fact he was instrumental in disrupting his plans, even from all the way out there."

"Does it say how she found out about this?"

"From the other members of the conspiracy. Turns out that she was a major part of it right up until the death of a fellow member was ordered."

The three glanced uneasily at Malefor who was quietly contemplating all he had been told. "Though she may have supported this conspiracy, she at least knew when enough was enough. From what we know of them, if she was going against the group, I'm not surprised they killed her. The question remains though, what will our next move be?"

"We can deduce that Master Coal is a member." stated the wind dragon next to him. "In the time that I've been paying attention, I've noticed that, while his commands and requests seem best when heard hours apart, there are underlying connections if you know what to look for. I plan to bring this information to Igneous's attention once I've sorted through the fine details."

About that," groaned Terrador, "in the two years I have learnt from him, I have heard nothing but good things from him regarding Master Coal. He has also mentioned, many times, how his life was owed to Master Coal. Even if he isn't part of the conspiracy, he would probably kill us just to ensure we couldn't bring harm to his friend."

"Ah." The disappointment her voice was obvious to the others. "Well then, what are we to do with this information?"

"If I may," spoke Ignitus, "Tremor gave this information to us that we could use it. Knowing that, should we not take action?"

"What do you propose? We can't act against them without incurring the wrath of them and their master. Even if we could beat them, we'd have the entirety of the city after us for treason"

"You may not have to worry about that." They all turned to the passage they had entered from to see the imposing figure of the water guardian. His tall, imposing stature illuminated by the few crystals in the access passage. "While you've all been down here plotting, the enemy has made their move. Both Coal and Igneous lay murdered in their chambers. The evidence points to a fire dragon."

The wind dragon hung her head. "They must have noticed my digging into their records. It would seem that there is one I missed within the archives. This conspiracy must be stopped. If they would kill two of their own just to keep from being found, imagine what they will do to the rest of our kind." She frowned as his words made it through the filter of her mind. "You mentioned a fire dragon did it, do you know which one?"

"As it stands, there is only one unaccounted for…" he said, staring at Ignitus. "They knew you would be out of the temple, just as they know that their best chance for ending our resistance is to eliminate you. As it stands, there is a capture or kill order out on you."

"And if I turn myself over, there is a guarantee that the evidence will be stacked against me." His voice was thick with disappointment. Even if I run, it is easy enough to track a single fire drake."

"All their evidence wouldn't matter if I ran in your place." The shock was evident on everyone's face as Malefor said his piece. "We all know why they've targeted Ignitus. He's in the best place to gather information and put it to use. While none of us wanted the guardian's deaths, we can make the most of this, but only if Ignitus comes through blameless."

"And," added Hydro, "it will be much harder for their agents to track a dragon with many element types."

"This is also the best opportunity to put our plans into action. We've needed an excuse to move into ape territories. If you move quickly, I can make it there and spread word before His agents get there."

Further plans and details were quickly sorted before they all left down the passage behind hydro, leaving only Malefor and the lone female dragon. "You know," she said "Ignitus may seem to agree with this, but we both know he's not going to take this well."

"He'd feel bad about this no matter what I did. At least this way, he has no reason, nor opportunity to talk me out of it."

"Maybe. Do you have a plan for what comes next?"

"You know me Gale, I prefer to keep my plans to myself."

The pair sat watching as crystal on the wall seemed to increase in size. "You seem to have finally calmed down over her death."

"I made peace with tremors deeds long ago, though I do regret that the council noticed his presence. He could have proven to be a great ally in this coming fight."

"Now there are words I never thought I'd hear from you."

"And what of you," he replied, finally turning to face her? "Have you forgiven Hydro for doing the deed, despite the fact he had no choice?"

"It was never Hydro that I was mad at. Rather, the fact that it had to happen in the first place." With that, she moved to leave him. "Wait an hour before leaving the city. We will send the guards out to, supposedly chase you, and give you the opportunity to get away clean."

"Don't let those monsters get away with this treachery. Coal and Igneous may have been our enemies in the long run, yet they were also my teachers. Together, we can see their spirits left at peace.

* * *

><p>Warfang<p>

Present day (four days later)

"As you can see;" finished Gaia, "Gale was the only one of us that could keep Ignitus and Malefor thinking with a clear head after dusk. She cared for both of them greatly. It broke her heart to see them pitched against each other in battle. Eventually, it got to the point that she could no longer remain here. Finding her will be tricky, as she was last seen heading into gryphon territory. Though, with her back on our side, our fight will become a lot easier."

"We have to find her first," dead-panned Sparx, "In the middle of what is the largest empire on this land mass, half of which is a war zone, whilst trying to avoid any foxes who may mistake us as creatures summoned by the phoenix and avoid any gryphons who think we're spies sent by their enemies."

"Thank you Sparx," grimaced Cynder. "I was wondering where we would be without you."

"Probably still fighting the Golem. We could also just use one of Terrador's tracking scrolls, they worked when we needed Ignitus."

"…"

"On another note what's our score up too?"

"Sixteen to eleven, I'm still ahead."

"Yeah, but it was sixteen to seven when you left to fight Malefor." He teased, leaning on her horn" "You've lost your touch."

"Keep touching my horn and you'll find out how much of my touch I still have."

"As entertaining as this is," said Cirion, interrupting before it could get out of hand; "could you continue that later?"

"He's right," added Spyro. "We have lots to do before we can leave to find gale. If the pair of you can avoid tearing each other apart, you can go give our plan to Terrador and get the scroll off him."

"I suppose you boys will be here training in the meantime?"

"No, we have a much harder task. Convincing our local phoenix to allow Cirion into their territories unmolested."

"Good luck with that." Quipped Cynder as the other pair left to find

**A/N If anyone can spot the Blazing Saddles Quote, I will need a villain henchman in the future of this story and will accept your suggestions for an OC.**


End file.
